Fall, or Fly?
by lethalenigma
Summary: How Zoe and Wash fell in love. May contain some spoilers from episodes in the "Firefly" series  though set before it began. Rated T for some course language, and hints at violence / sexual behavior.
1. Invaded

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****: This note applies to this chapter, as well as all others that are to come.  
I do **_**not**_** own the characters of Wash, Zoë, Mal, Jayne, Kaylee, or the spaceship Serenity. The idea/storyline of "Firefly" is credited to Joss Whedon and his fellow writers/creators of the series, and this is just my interpretation on what may have happened before the series took place.  
Quotes and references may be made to episodes of the show (many taken, in particular, from "Out of Gas", to explain how each crew member came to be on the ship) and all Chinese translations were found on the "Firefly" Wikipedia fanpage.**

"So what do you think, Zo? Startin' to feel a bit like home?"  
Malcolm Reynolds spread his arms out and walked in a circle, motioning around the kitchen, which had just been recently cleaned. If you could call it that.  
Zoë's face held a sarcastic smirk as she eyed the room, hands held firmly behind her back. She heaved a sigh and looked at the Captain mockingly, "It could start to feel like home, Sir." She said, earning an almost childish smile from Mal, "But even after passing a broom in here, I still think you got robbed."

Mal groaned, dropping his arms to his sides in resignation.  
"Oh wow, someone finally cleaned up in here?"  
Zoë turned her head around to the door at the end of the kitchen, only to find their newly-hired pilot, Hoban Washburne, on board. She quickly snapped her head forward and lowered it, sending a significant, none-too-subtle glare at Mal while he passed the new crew member a friendly smile.  
"Yup! Did it m'self! Don't you find it's startin' to feel a bit more like home, Hoban?"  
Hoban, who had been on Serenity for about a week, stuffed his hands into his pockets and let his bright blue eyes roam appraisingly, going along with the Captain. Zoë didn't budge.  
"Does it have food in it?" He asked, nodding towards the cooking area.  
"Sure does!" Mal replied, almost too cheerfully. Zoë rolled her eyes, back still turned to Washburne.  
"Then home it is, Captain!" Hoban said happily, almost prancing over to the cupboards. Zoë turned her head slightly to the side, raising a sarcastic eyebrow in his direction, hands now set firmly on her hips.  
"Y'know Hoban, you're part of the crew now. So you can be callin' me Mal."  
Hoban stood up from his squatting position in front of a cupboard, eyes wide, almost dazed, but a comfortable smile on his lips, which was practically covered by his moustache. "Fine by me! And while Hoban is such a becoming name, I'd prefer Wash."  
"Wash." Mal said, smirking.  
"Mal." Wash replied, giving him a curt nod.  
"Zoë."  
Zoë's head snapped up to look at the Captain, her eyes still holding the sarcastic glare she had been sending towards "Wash".  
"Sir." She replied, tersely. When she heard silence from the cooking area, she turned to see that Wash was just standing there, looking at them expectantly.  
Without a word, she turned and walked away, laughing inwardly at the knowledge that she must have left a very confused Hoban behind her.

A few hours later, Zoë found herself in the kitchen, about to open up a can of beans for dinner, when the Captain walked it, making himself comfortable on the nearest chair.  
"So!" He proclaimed, propping his feet up on the table and resting his hands behind his head.  
"So." Zoë replied absent-mindedly, still opening the can of beans.  
"You still don't like 'im."  
Zoë's eyes met Mal's when she looked up from the can. After a few seconds of silence, she looked back down at her meal. "Don't know what you're talking about."  
Mal just laughed. "C'mon, Zo! He's a good pilot! Can fly this bird like none other, and picked us over quite a few other offers, too! What's there not to like?"  
Zoë just snorted, not looking up from her food.  
"Is it the lip-ferret?"  
Zoe chuckled and looked up at the Captain, who rose his eyebrows in mock-concern.  
But when Wash's face flashed into her mind, her smile left from her, and she poured her beans onto a plate with a serious expression on. "I jus' don't like him, Sir. Like I said a week ago, he just bothers me."  
Mal let out another groan, taking his legs off of the table and straightening up. "Well, he's here for good. Better get used to him!"  
Zoë smiled despite herself as the Captain walked slowly around the kitchen, hands linked loosely behind his back, looking as if he were staring at his very own masterpiece.  
"Don't know if that mechanic will be around forever though, or that lip-ferret…"  
Zoë let out a little laugh as she dug into her beans with a fork.  
"Well what're you gonna do about it, Sir? Could always say that you're worried it'll interfere with his vision."  
"Aha!" Mal yelled, earning a startled look from Zoë, fork half way to her mouth.  
Mal just stood there, pointing at her triumphantly, and she stared at him, waiting for a response. "I _knew _it was the lip-ferret!"  
Zoë just looked after the Captain, a look of amused disbelief on her face, before getting back to her food.

It wasn't the lip-ferret. Looks didn't make Zoë particularly dislike anyone. There was just something about Hoban Washburne that made her anxious, as if she was standing at the edge of something she wasn't sure she wanted to be at the edge of.  
Zoë stared into her plate of beans, almost willing them to give her an answer.  
They didn't, but her ears picked up something that did: Mal's voice down the hall.  
"Oh hey there, Wash! How's Serenity doin'?"  
"She flies like a leaf on the wind, Mal! Smooth sailin' for a bit, so I put her on autopilot. Wanted to grab some dinner, if that's okay?"  
Zoë hastily shoveled down the last few bites of her beans, threw her plate into the sink, wiped her hands off with a towel before going to exit the kitchen, only to come face to… chest, with the pilot.

Wash, while caught by surprise, just took a little step back and moved to the side, giving Zoë her room.  
"Well hey there, Zoë!" He said, his voice a few octaves higher than before, and an almost pleading 'don't-kill-me' smile on his face.  
Zoë just looked at him for a moment, noticing his nervous smile from underneath that bushel of hair.  
"Wash." She replied, the way she greeted all of the new crew-members.  
"You on your way out? I was about to grab some beans, if you wanna – "  
"Already ate." She said quickly before shouldering her way through the door and walking down the hallway. Her mouth was pursed, a look of irritation in her eye, and she just wanted to get away from that man's gaze.

"Ah… well. Have a nice night, then!"  
Zoë stopped abruptly to look at Wash, who smiled nonchalantly, waved his hand, and descended into the kitchen.  
Zoë's eyebrows furrowed, but she just shrugged her shoulders and wandered to her bunk.


	2. A sudden heartwarming

2 months went by, and Zoë's attitude toward Wash remained unchanged. Which may have been lucky for him, since she treated Bester quite differently since his first week. She now ignored him completely, not even bothering to say his name when they walked by each other in the hallway. Mind, that may have had something to do with Bester cat-calling her one night when they were planet-side and he had decided to come back on ship, drunk.

He now sported a black eye that Zoë was particularly fond of.

As Zoë entered the kitchen (which had also become the official meeting place), she found Bester sitting, leg up, in a chair on one side, Mal at the head, and Wash on the other.  
"Zoë, kind of you to join us. Grab a seat, we gotta talk about our planet-side plans!"  
Zoë promptly took the place one seat away from Wash, leaning back and crossing her arms over her stomach, her muscles flexing. She caught Bester sliding her a look and raised her eyebrows, making Bester bring his attention firmly back on the Captain.

"Alright, so in a few hours' time, we'll be landin' on some solid land. Now I understand that we haven't seen that in a bit, so let me be clear: no more stupidity that will result in black eyes."  
Mal threw a look at Bester, who shrugged his shoulders. "Shiny, Cap."  
"Okay. We're stoppin' for 3 days, nothin' more. Woulda been shorter, but I understand we've been havin' some issues in Serenity's inners. Zoë, you and I are going to visit our old friend the Sheriff – "  
"You've got dealins with a Sheriff? That's jus' ruttin' insane, Cap!" Bester burst, drawing up in his chair.  
"It's a nick name, genius." Zoë said, bringing a chuckle from Wash. She smirked, but hardly enough for anyone to notice.  
"Anyway," Mal continued, un-phased, "we'll pick up the goods, which we'll be transportin' to Paquin. Now that's what, a week's soarin'…"  
"I could bring it down to about 5 days, but we'll say a week to be safe." Wash said, nodding.  
"Good. And to be extra safe we'll give us two weeks."  
"Bester might need the extra time, to get Serenity runnin' straight." Zoë said under her breath.  
Wash looked over at her, a grin on his face. Mocking the ship's mechanic was probably the only subject they had ever held a conversation on. Ever.  
"Either way, that gives us 3 days on this ruttin' planet. So let's make it worth the wait. Zoë, we get the goods. Wash, you might do well stayin' with the ship, fixin' up odds and ends, and Bester: my engine hasn't been runnin' as smooth as I like it these past few days, which is why we've got ourselves in such a delay. Any idea what's goin' on there?"  
"Huh?" Bester shook his head, obviously having just been woken up from dozing off. "Yeah, sure, I'll take a look at it. Shiny."

Zoë rolled her eyes but pushed herself out of her seat, ready to go spend the next few hours checking the cargo bay for anything that might need stowing away, but Mal stopped her. "Zo, you go with Wash to the bridge. I want you to brief him on the repairin' he can do while we're away. I want to get as much done as possible if we have to sit idle here for three days."  
Zoë froze, staring at the Captain like he had gone insane. But Mal just raised his eyebrows and mouthed 'Go on!'  
She took a deep breath and looked down at Wash, who was looking awkwardly straight ahead (which happened to be where her stomach was), almost as if he was afraid of being hit by lasers from her pupils. "Sounds good, Sir." She responded with an effort, turning and walking toward the pilot's area without saying anything to the pilot himself.

After a few steps down the hallway, she could hear jogging behind her, until Wash's face (ferret first) showed up at her side. "S'pose we should be happy at the few days delay - we don't see planet side much, these days!" He said casually. Zoë just nodded as they arrived at the helm and Wash slid into his seat, obviously comfortable there. She went and stood in front of the seat across from him, crossing her arms.  
Wash, feeling the awkward tension already rising in the air, decided to bring up the one "safe" subject they had.  
"Y'know, Bester's severe lack of intelligence may be servin' him well. He has got to be the only legitimate one on this ship, since I don't think he knows what 'legitimate' even means. So, I don't think he counts as carrying out a life of crime…"  
Wash continued with the idle chatter as Zoë watched him play with the control panel, turning off auto-pilot.  
"I'm not sure Bester even knows what an _engine_ is, let alone what the word _legitimate_ means." Zoë replied, a hint of good humor in her voice.  
"We could probably do his job better than he does."  
"That is very likely." While Wash couldn't see her face, he could hear her grin in the change in tone of her voice.  
"You want to take the helm while I go and fix up our engine?"  
"But why when I could go fix up the engine, and you could keep us from crashin' into a million tiny pieces?" Zoë retorted, challenging.  
"Wouldn't want you to have to get dirty, fine lady as yourself!"

Zoë tilted her head back and laughed, to the surprise of the pilot. He had heard her laugh before, tons of times. Her and Mal had loads of hilarious stories to tell, always finishing each other's sentences. But never had she laughed at him. Well, no… she had laughed at him. Just maybe not with him.  
Zoë caught him smiling at her and straightened up, but a smile was still on her face.  
"But maybe you should tell me what I should be doing while planet-side?"  
Zoë nodded, almost relieved that the comfortable joking was over, and gave him a list of ship repairs that he could do. Wash simply nodded his head at every one, mentally storing it for when they landed. When she was done, they were left looking at each other, Wash sitting, Zoë standing, only the black in between them through the window.

Wash was the one who decided to break the silence, looking away and into the stars. "So what do you two do?"

Zoë eyed him questioningly, lowering herself into the chair, getting ready for the next couple of hours before they hit planet. "What?"  
"You know, what do you two do, when you go on a trade?" Wash kept his eyes on either the space or his instruments, fiddling with things here and there.  
"Could go two ways. Smoothly and discreetly…"  
Wash looked at her then, his bright blue eyes looking almost worried. "And the second way?"  
Zoë looked at him calmly, like she did to anyone when explaining their situation for the first time. It was routine to her.  
"It could go smoothly and discreetly, or it could go public."  
"And I guess that's where all the guns come in." Wash chipped in, seeming just as casual with the flow of conversation as Zoë did, which took her off guard.  
"You been around firearms before, pilot?"

Wash looked over at her, taken aback by the question. Or maybe just taken aback that she sounded remotely interested. "Well – " he started, about to make some dry joke to lighten the mood, but seeing her look so intently at him changed his mind. "When you didn't go to the War, the War came to you."  
Zoë smiled, the smile that she shared with Mal when they spoke about the War, the smile of comrades. "And what do you do up here, other than – "  
"Pilot a giant piece of metal in an endless universe full of peril?" Wash put in again, staring lovingly out the front of the cockpit.  
"Sounds pretty gorram boring." She replied, slouching in her seat.  
"I – " but again, when looking at Zoë, he held back his response. "I… keep entertained."

The rest of the few hours ensued with light banter and conversations about Bester, but the two steered clear of any more "serious talk". Zoë's irritation over those few hours ebbed toward the pilot (who she had always considered "new" to the crew, until that day). He wasn't the man she thought he would be when she first met him. At the time, he seemed arrogant, aggravating. Almost like a child with so many toys in front of him, he didn't know what to do with them, but he'd make sure to make a gorram mess with his fiddling. In truth, the pilot was anything but arrogant, his sarcastic self-confidence just a way to make people laugh. Zoë came to realize he had a certain soft kindness to him, the kind she appreciated, having so little of it herself, and when they landed planet side, she even gave a small wave before exiting the helm.

Lip-ferret still had to go.


	3. Stranded

"_Ta ma dei_" - Your Mother  
_"____Liou koe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze"_ - Stupid son of a drooling harlot and a monkey

* * *

Zoë and Mal were on their way back from a short, happily smooth trade when they decided to go by the marketplace.  
"Let's go get us a decent meal for tonight – ought'a make the crew happy!"  
"I surely think it would, Sir." Zoë replied, a lose smile on her face.  
Mal glanced at her sideways and looked away, but soon was smirking confidently at her outright, as if he had won some argument.  
When she couldn't ignore it any longer, Zoë looked right back at him, her eyebrow raised.  
"Is there somethin' particular that you're smilin' at, Sir?"  
"You like him now!" Mal said smugly, and she was almost waiting for him to start bouncing about and clapping his hands. Instead she just rolled her eyes.  
"I told you Sir, he just _bothered _me!"  
"Ah but see now Zoë, that is the key word! Bothered! Not 'bothers' or 'bothering'. 'Bothered'. What'd you guys bond over in the cockpit anyhow?"  
Zoë just walked toward a table full of (highly-expensive) fruit, and began surveying some peaches. "Bester and his indefinable intelligence, you– "  
Mal stopped dead in his tracks. "Woah, woah, woah! Me? Who says you've got a right to be talkin' about me on my ship?"  
Zoë just cast him an amused glance. "It was a mutual interest. Now ain't ya happy we're gettin' along?"  
"Yeah, but get along with other topics of discussion."  
"Whatever you say, Sir."  
"Well… alright then!" And with that, Mal and Zoe began to pick out some peaches and tomatoes for tonight's dinner.

* * *

"What do you _mean_, the secondary grab-boot is shot?"  
Bester just shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said driver-man, it's shot! Can't be fixin' that without some new parts, or tools, or whatever."  
Wash ran a hand over his head, which was covered in a light layer of sweat after repairing the ship all day. "Okay, well, how did it get shot in the first place? It was running FINE before!"  
"Well, Cap. said to check it out, so I did, and while I was fiddlin' aroun' in there I guess I must've hit it!"  
Wash just stared at the mechanic with his mouth hanging open, a look of desperation on his face.  
"I don't like that look, I don't like it at all!"  
Mal strode into the room, and looked at the two expectantly. They had been planet-side for 4 days, and he was starting to get impatient with Bester.  
"No worries, Cap! I found the problem! I just gotta fix it!"  
"Well alright then!"  
When Bester didn't move, Mal gave him an expectant look. "So… fix it!"  
"No can do, Cap! Gotta get me some new materials!"  
"_Te ma de!_" Mal muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Well, then tomorrow you go find us some new parts! I want off this planet!"  
"Yes, Sir!" Bester said, making the motion of a salute, and hurried out of the engine room.

"Man that kid is going to be the death of me…" Mal muttered to himself before realizing Wash was still there. "Ah well, so we've got another night on this land heap. What'd'ya say to a quiet drink?"  
"Is that even possible?" Wash asked, laughing.  
"It is if you knock 'em before they get to yellin' too loud!"  
"I'm in!" Wash said, smiling.  
"Shiny! Meet me and Zoë in the cargo bay in about an hour."  
And with that, Mal exited the room, leaving a stunned Wash behind him.  
Zoë?  
"_Liou koe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze!____"_

Wash hurried off to his bunk and jumped in the shower, letting the lukewarm water wake him up as well as get rid of the grime covering him from head to toe.  
Going for a drink… with Zoë?  
This made Wash nervous, and very little made him nervous, despite what his erratic behavior might hint at. Reavers made him nervous, sure. And this resembled something like Reavers, except that he also felt happy.  
No happiness with Reavers.  
So it kind of felt like the first time he ever piloted a ship, and look where that got him.  
Drinks with Zoë it was, then. If they were going to live on this gorram ship together, they would have to get past that awkwardness at some point. And what better way than to do so with alcohol?  
Wash pushed the image of Bester's bruised eye out of his mind as he stepped out of the shower, in front of the tiny mirror above his sink. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he reached over to a tiny can, spraying the foam onto his face, then he reached for a tiny knife, and began to shave.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So there you have it, Chapter 3. Chapters 4-14 are actually already written (yes, 14 Chapters. It's a long one) but I figured I'd see what everyone had to say before posting them up. No matter what the reviews are, if I have any who are interested in the rest, then I will happily post them. **

**I apologize for any translation errors - I got them off of a "Firefly" website, so as to make it as close to the show as possible. Let me know if there are any changes you'd like me to make before I post up the new chapters. Happy reading!**


	4. Dancing hearts

Zoë stood in the cargo bay, tapping her foot impatiently, looking around to check if anything was out of place. She needed a drink – being planet-side for a bit was a nice break, but for 4 days? What were they supposed to do?  
"Hey there, Zo! Ready to get going?"  
Zoë turned to Mal and cocked her hip, crossing her arms.  
"Ready to walk head-first into a to-be bar fight? Always."  
"Shiny! So now all we gotta do is wait up for Wash and we'll be out in a jiffy."  
Zoë's eyes widened and froze at the mention of the pilot's name. The two had been cracking jokes at each other since they got here, but there was still a veil of uncomfortable tension between them. Zoë hadn't liked him for a good while until now, and Wash knew it well enough. That was hard to just get rid of.  
"Look," Mal started, being able to read her expression well enough, "I know you two hadn't gotten along for a bit until recently, so let's clear the air! No better way to do that than to get drunk and hit on women together!"  
"Thanks, Sir. You are very thoughtful. But I prefer hittin' on men."  
"You know what, so do I. Hittin' women isn't classy."  
Zoë chuckled, finally feeling a bit less tense when she heard footsteps entering the cargo bay.

Mal and Zoë both let out an involuntary gasp of surprise when Wash entered the room, clad in baggy, light brown cargo pants, a deep blue, flowered shirt, and a clean face.  
"… what?" Wash demanded, looking himself up and down, not finding anything unusual.  
"I should invite you out to drinks more often, pilot!" Mal exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Wash.  
"I agree, Captain. The invitation seems to have done well for the man!" Zoë chimed in, smiling at the pilot.  
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" Wash retorted, running his hand over his clean-shaven face.  
"Oh, it was!" Both Zoë and Mal replied in unison, before the three trekked off toward a small, downtrodden bar.

* * *

"Look, all I'm sayin', is you're a cold-stone bitch!" Mal slurred, pointing at Zoë over a dirty table, who was staring at him, a defensive but amused smile on her face.  
"I am not." She retorted, smiling as she took a sip of her drink. "I'm just… private."  
Wash snorted. "That's one word for it!"  
Zoë cast her usual one-raised-eyebrow glance at Wash, who just shrugged his shoulders as his face disappeared behind his drinking mug.  
"I mean, I'm not sayin' it's a bad thing! You're my best first mate!"  
"I'm your only first mate." Zoë corrected Mal.  
"Look, my point is, you gotta loosen up a little! Get drunk! Why don't you ever get drunk?"  
"I don't drink much." Zoë responded maturely, smiling.  
"Or you have a freakishly high tolerance!" Wash piped in, raising his mug to her. Zoë lowered her eyes and laughed, letting the two tipsy men enjoy their fun.  
"Now Wash, we should scope out the women. The maaaany fine women!" Mal slurred, wrapping an arm around Wash's shoulders. But when Zoë turned to see Wash's reaction, she saw him looking right at her.  
Both of them shot their eyes in opposite directions, but Wash recovered quickly, laughing with Mal.  
"Oh yes, let us scope out these lovely women! Oh, what about – no, that's a man. Or maybe – no, that's another man."  
"Don't encourage him, pilot. He'd be just as happy to find a man to hit." Zoë warned, casting a sidelong glance at Mal, hoping he didn't get them into any trouble. But he just perked his head up and smirked innocently.  
"Now, why would I do that, Zoë? These are mighty fine men. AREN'T YOU ALL MIGHTY FINE MEN!" Mal yelled, raising his glass to a chorus of "Hoorahs!" from around the pub.  
As the three laughed amongst themselves, Mal noticed a woman walk through the door, clad in a thin brown dress, with long black hair.  
"Well, I have scoped! I'll holler if there's another!"  
And with that he strode off (swaying his hips a little), leaving Zoë and Wash behind him, leaning over in their seats with laughter.

"Oh God, does this always happen?" Wash asked, and Zoë just shook her head in mock disgust.  
"Always."  
Wash propped his head on his hand, leaning his elbow on the table. "Well I'd vote for this any day! Not in the mood for punches."  
"No? Are you having a fine time, pilot?" Zoë asked, taking a deep sip from her mug.  
Wash looked at her with a wide, full-toothed smile, which dropped into a small grin, and he looked at her with caring eyes. Zoë looked back at him when he didn't respond, and he held her gaze like that for a few moments before Mal stumbled over, leaning on the table for support.  
"Zo! Wash! Don't miss out on the fun! C'mon, let's get a dance going!"  
"It's a bar, Captain." Zoë replied, matter-of-factly.  
"So? We can dance in bars! C'mon!"  
But as he pranced away, Zoë and Wash stayed sitting, smirking happily.

The two sat in silence without awkwardness, and finished their drinks. Once he had drained his mug, Wash took a deep breath and turned to look at Zoë, who was resting her chin on intertwined fingers.  
"Do you dance?"  
Zoë looked over at him, her eyes wide, a casual smile still on her lips. Wash just tightened his, looking at her hopefully, and decided to imitate a dancing motion. Zoë smiled before pushing her chair back and slowly getting to her feet. Wash's look of utter surprise almost made her burst into hysterical laughter, and just as he scrambled off of his chair, she joined hands with a dancer passing by and joined the crowd, now fully laughing at Wash's stunned face as he stood alone at the table.

Not one to dwell on it, Wash laughed and started clapping for the dancers, but refused any woman's offer to join in. Little did he know, Zoë had caught up to Mal fairly quickly, whispered that she was going to head back to the ship, and slipped out of the dance just as it got to the back door.

As she was walking back to the ship that was slowly becoming home, she pondered on the events of the night. The awkward tension was gone, but something else was there. Something that held that feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. When he looked at her with those big, blue eyes, she felt that same thing she felt when she first met him, but without unmerited hatred, or a lip-ferret, to cover it up.


	5. Rescued

"_Bi Zuei" ____– Shut Up  
__"__Tzao-gao____,__ Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng!____" – Damn it, frog-humping son of a bitch!_

___

* * *

_

"Finally back in the sky!"  
They had left the planet a week later than expected, with one crew member less than expected… but replaced by a new one.  
Kaylee was the new mechanic of Serenity, after having fixed the ship in under 5 minutes when Bester couldn't even figure out what was wrong with it in a week. The girl brought a whole new vibe to the boat – almost as if she was the missing piece that truly made it _home_. Mal had come to joking that it wasn't the grab-boot that needed replacing to make their ship run as normal, but the mechanic. She would regularly skip into the cockpit to keep Wash company on long shifts and crack jokes about Mal with Zo___ë. _In fact, even the Captain himself seemed to feel as if she were a daughter, or a little sister.

With Kaylee around, it was hard to feel awkward or uncomfortable about anything. While the day after the night to the bar was one full of Wash deliberately avoiding Zoë, once the girl had joined their crew, they were back to casual conversations at the kitchen table (at which they tended to eat together more and more frequently). But Zoë subconsciously avoided the cockpit at all times, unless called in by Mal.

Halfway through their trip to Paquin, such a call was made by Mal after something hit Serenity, causing her to shake slightly.  
"Zoë, you're needed in the bridge."  
Zoë sighed at the intercom, and quickly climbed the ladder out of her bunk and into the hallway. Once she got there, she found that Mal and Kaylee were already standing around Wash, who was staring into a tiny screen on the cockpit.  
"Looks like we got bumped by a piece of scrap metal. We're passing by an abandoned carrier, so it's no surprise that they'd be about, but I should have seen it…"  
"Somethin' that small, gets by the radar." Mal said, showing Wash that all was forgiven with only a few words.  
"You think it caused a lot of damage?" Zoë asked, standing behind the Captain.  
"Not too much, but we might wanna check it out quickly, before going off too much further. Serenity's not picking up anything that could be an obstacle in the next little while, I could put her on autopilot."  
Wash looked up at Mal for orders, who was nodding to himself.  
"Shiny. You and Zoë can go check it out. Take the suits."  
Zoë and Wash immediately looked at each other, and immediately looked away as they made their way to the cargo bay to get their suits.

Once they were suited up, they walked over to the kitchen and into the compartment that would lead to the top of the ship, where they had been hit. Wash climbed the ladder and opened the door leading into the black, expertly climbing the steps placed on the ship's surface as Zoë pulled her way out, shutting the door behind them.  
"Alright, it should be right over there."  
Wash pointed toward the back of the ship, and both made their way silently to the spot. Once they got there, it was easy to find.  
"Just a dent. There don't seem to be any punctures. We should be fine 'till we get to Paquin, then we can fix her up." Zoë said, her voice commanding.  
Wash nodded from underneath his suit when they heard an engine. Looking behind Zoë, Wash could see a small ship emerge from the ruin, with two guns at its side.  
"Mal, Mal, get out of here! There's a ship behind the abandoned carrier, we gotta move!" Wash yelled into the intercom attached to the inside of his suit.  
"Get in here and we'll fly!" Mal yelled back, making it obvious that it was an order.  
"Go." Zoë commanded, motioning for the door, but Wash didn't budge.  
"Get your ass into the ship, Wash!" Zoë yelled again, but Wash grabbed the arm of her suit and pulled her in front of him, pushing her towards the door.  
With the entrance only two feet away, the other ship began to fire at them, and Wash pulled himself so that he was covering Zoë.  
"Wash, get in the gorram –"  
"Bi Zuei and get insi - AH!" Wash cried out, before reaching down to hold his leg.  
Zoë swore under her breath as the ship passed over them, about to turn around to fire again. The entire surface of the model was covered in a blue electric sheen, explaining why it was invisible on the radar… and making it that much more dangerous to the two exposed crew members. She pulled open the door, grabbed Wash from under the arm and pulled both of them inside before shutting it tight.  
"Captain! We're in!" She yelled, and they leaned against the wall as the ship lurched into space.

Once the floor was steady again, Zoë pressed the button to oxygenate the room and bring it back to normal gravity. She deftly took off her suit before walking over to Wash, who had also taken off his suit, and was now testing his weight on his grazed leg in front of the door that would lead them back into the ship.  
Zoë glared at him something fierce, and when he looked up his eyes went from pained to defensive. "It's only a graze."  
"Tzao-gao, Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng!"  
Wash flinched as Zoë let out a slew of insults in Chinese, but straightened up, facing her.  
"I gave you an order, Pilot! And when I give you an order, you follow it, do I make myself clear?" Zoë said, anger vibrating off of her entire being, as she slowly walked towards him.  
Wash said nothing, but stood straight up, looking her in the eye, his face set.  
Zoë's face could have turned the strongest man into stone, and as she took the three final strides towards him, Wash was prepared to take the black eye she was about to dish him.  
But instead, she walked over, wrapped her hand around his head, and pressed her lips against his.

Wash snapped out of his stunned state and put a hand on her upper back and the other on her waist, bringing his face even closer to hers, and breathing in her skin through his nose. Both of their strong arms were holding the other to themselves, and when she finally pulled away, her deep brown eyes looked into his blue ones with that same stern anger that she held a moment before, which was now mixed with something else.

And without a word Zoë marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving a star struck Wash alone.


	6. Fight or flight response

Fear: a present-oriented mood state, causes distress, and activates the "Fight or Flight" response. Zoë was heavily geared towards fight, and Wash was just as heavily geared towards flight. And they were both afraid.

Both afraid of that tiny compartment that led up to the top of Serenity, and into the unknown. Both afraid of facing each other with the… conversation that ensued while they were in the compartment. The only thing was, only Wash showed it.  
Scary and intimidating as Zoë may be, she intrigued him. In a way no one had ever intrigued him before. Wash had always planned to sail into the black, returning home only when absolutely required, and even then only for a couple of days. He had had no hopes of finding anyone to share that life with. But in the bar about two weeks before, that disdain that she held for him seemed to drop, and he was able to look at her in a new light.  
The light he had seen her in at first was enough to catch his eye, but this caught… everything.  
The only person he was interested in that night was her.  
And then when they had to climb onto Serenity to check out the damage.  
He heard the gunshots, and he reacted. Wash was not one to be calm while being fired on, nor was he one to throw himself in harm's way, but he saw that ship behind Zoë, he saw the bullets, and he just acted without thinking. Thinking was not required.  
So bullets didn't scare him… but confronting Zoë after she showed a moment of weakness? That scared him. Terrified him, even. She was a strong woman, and he knew that she didn't like to show weakness, and when she did, she made up for it tenfold by showing strength.

And so he hid in the cockpit, knowing that she would probably avoid it whenever possible, knowing he was in there.  
He wasn't entirely wrong.  
Zoë was geared towards fight, and while in this situation that might mean she would grasp what happened and thrive in it, she interpreted it a little bit differently.  
She decided to fight with Wash every single time she saw him.  
At the dinner table, in the hallway, in the cargo bay. Anywhere she saw him, a sarcastic remark followed. No more smiles, no more smirks, no more private chuckles as they teased their crew-mates.  
And he still watched her with those big blue eyes that told Zoë just about everything she had to know about how he felt.

Two weeks had passed since she kissed him, and they continued acting like this. Kaylee was particularly upset by the whole situation, mostly because it meant no more entire-crew-member meals, which she enjoyed so much. One of them was always missing.  
"Y'know, Wash works so hard as pilot, and Zoë's always fixin' things… y'don't think you can give 'em a break, Cap'n? There's always one of 'em missin' when we're eatin'…"  
Kaylee forked at her food, especially disappointed tonight since neither of the two had shown for dinner.  
"Neither of them are on duty right now." Mal stated, taking a bite of food. "They'll be around."  
But when he saw Kaylee's sad face he groaned and got up, walking into the cockpit, where Wash was…  
"Wash, what are you doing?"  
Wash spun around in his chair, obviously not having heard Mal walk in, with a small plastic raptor in one hand, and a stegosaurus in the other.  
"I – uh… dinosaurs, Mal."  
Wash just shrugged his shoulders as he held up the dinosaurs.  
"Yeah, I can see that!" Mal exclaimed, laughing a little. Then he pressed the intercom button.  
"Zoë, you're needed at the bridge."  
Wash froze, dinosaurs still brandished in the air.  
"You might wanna put those away." Mal suggested, eying the prehistoric toys.  
But Wash just smiled nervously and placed them on the console, beside an assortment of palm trees.

Which he almost immediately regretted only a few moments later.

"Dinosaurs, pilot?"  
Wash turned his big eyes toward Mal's first mate, his breath catching in his throat.  
"Enough!" Mal barked before Wash could say anything. "Now I know you two have got your differences, but it's about time they got sorted! This is Serenity's crew and that's what. We'll be on Paquin tomorrow for a few days, which'll give you more'n enough time to figure this all out. And until you do, this ship will not get back in the sky. Understand?"  
Wash just nodded his head, hands gripping his knees through his worn beige pants.  
"Yes, Sir." Zoë replied, her body frigid.  
"Good. Now you can figure out what you're gonna do now, so's I don't have to be stuck planet side."  
And without waiting for a response, Mal strode out of the cockpit, leaving a breathless Wash, and a stone Zoë, behind him.

Wash dared a quick look at Zoë before getting back to his control panel. Zoë turned to look at him, her eyes all business.  
"What is it, Zoë?"  
Zoë was taken aback by Wash's tone. He didn't sound like he used to when she was irritated with him – like a child with a new nanny – but seemed almost irritated himself. No, not irritated… tired.  
Not to mention he didn't even turn around to look at her.  
"Excuse me?"  
"What did I do to piss you off? Because I doubt it's because you miss the moustache."  
Wash cast a hopeful glance her way, but she showed no response to his try at humor.  
Looking away, he tried again.  
"'Cause, y'know… last I checked, _you _kissed _me_. So… I should be pissed off. For having my manly impulsiveness taken away from me!"  
Wash quickly put the ship on autopilot before swiveling his seat so that he could face Zoë, who had her classic bored, superior look on.  
"You kissed me back."  
Wash just stared at her blankly. Her voice was hard, but there was an undertone, almost of disappointment.  
"Yeah, I did." Wash exclaimed, as if it seemed obvious to him.  
"Why?"  
It came out as more of a demand than a question.  
"Because I _like_ you, Zoë."  
It sounded almost like a teacher spelling out a simple sentence to a troubled student. It reminded her of how she spoke to Kaylee about war, and truth the told, the subject that Wash was trying to explain to her was almost as foreign as gun fights were to the young girl. Zoë's face even softened a bit, but her body remained tense.  
"You make me fear for my life, but I like you. It doesn't seem like you like me much, but at some point, it did. So if ever that miraculously came back, I could… take you out."  
Wash had stood up while he was speaking, and was now standing in front of the woman, palms open at his sides, half in surrender, and half convincingly. Had his week-long planned speech just come out like _that_?  
Zoë's mouth twitched.  
"Are you asking me to go out on a date, pilot?"  
Wash grinned and shrugged, "Trying to regain my manly impulsiveness."  
Zoë took a step towards him. "And if I refuse?"  
"Well, Mal is making us go. So you'll have to deal with it."  
Zoë let out a quiet chuckle, resting her hands on her hips.  
"And I'd just ask again."  
Zoë's surprise managed to break through her cold front. She hadn't been expecting such a forward statement from the normally-cowardly man.  
"Oh really?"  
"I'm a persistent man." Wash said, puffing up his chest dramatically.  
"In that case, I accept." She let a cool smile creep onto her face.  
"Goo - wait, you do?"  
Zoë laughed under her breath as she left the cockpit.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
****Hi everyone! I know that I have a few of you following my story so far - and thanks for that! Just wanted to let you know that some minor changes were made to the earlier chapters. I asked to review if anything should be changed, and someone brought up the issue of my time-line. Seems like, getting so caught up in the Wash/Zoe story line, I introduced Inara a tad too early.**

**So, thanks to the reviewer for catching my mistake, and my apologies to those who have been reading! The changes aren't enormous (mostly just removing Inara from the story-line, to perhaps be re-introduced later), but I hope it makes the story more believable. Enjoy!**


	7. Psychic Kaylee

"Goin' out with Wash tonight?"  
Zoë caught her breath as Kaylee climbed down into her bunk.  
"Captain filled everyone in?" Zoë asked tenderly, smiling at the younger girl.  
"Ya-huh. Said you two were goin' off on a mission!"  
Zoë smiled at Kaylee, who even managed to make something as simple as a "mission" sound exciting. She continued getting ready for her outing, tugging on her combat boots and doing up the buckles, while Kaylee looked around in a dazed, but cheerful, fashion.  
"Thought it was funny, what with you two goin' on a trade without the Cap'n, an' you without guns… an' you with your hair down."  
Zoë looked at Kaylee, astonished. Absently running a hand over her loose curls.  
"C'mon, Zo! I've seen the way he looks at you, and you at him! You gotta stop tryn' a scare him away! He ain't gonna be 'round forever, if you keep goin' at this rate!"  
Zoë huffed as she smoothed out her wispy blue blouse, and wiped some left-over dirt from earlier on that day off of her usual beige pants.  
"That's how I make sure they stick around." She replied coolly, winking at Kaylee, whose smile was threatening to jump off of her face. It couldn't hurt to give the girl some hope.  
"Well aren't ya gonna dress up? Wonder where he'll take ya, someplace fancy…"  
But Zoë just snorted at Kaylee's fantasy. "If he wants me, then that's exactly what he'll get. Me. An' I don't come with no dress."  
Kaylee just rolled her eyes good-naturedly.  
"Ya like him, y'know."  
Zoë just stared at Kaylee, standing there in her baggy jumper and her dirty tanktop. Suddenly, she looked and sounded much wiser than anyone gave her credit for.  
"Ya don't like it, but y'do."  
Kaylee turned and left the room, leaving Zoë to stand, stunned.  
"Zoë, cargo bay. Time to go!"  
Zoë groaned at the Captain's enthusiastic voice over the intercom.  
"On my way, Sir."

Time to get this over with.

* * *

Wash stood alone in the cargo bay, fiddling with the strap of his worn, brown leather bag. He had vouched for a worn pair of dark brown cargo pants and a black shirt (he'd noticed the looks of disgust that he earned from Zoë when he wore his floral attire). The darkness of his clothes made his blue eyes pop, but they popped even more when Mal entered the room, followed closely by Zoë.  
Wash took in her usual work pants and her light blue, almost fancy-looking top, but what really caught his eye was her cascade of curls, not tied up or held back in any way.  
'Beautiful'.  
"Alright, so you do the mission, and come on right back. But only when it's done. Y'know, sorted."  
"We're clear, Captain." Zoë replied, strolling over to stand beside Wash, whose eyebrows still hadn't lowered since she entered the room. By now, Kaylee had also entered the cargo bay, and was unsuccessfully hiding a full-blown grin with her hand.

Wash turned to look at Zoë questioningly, and she nodded. As the two exited the ship, Kaylee threw Wash a discreet thumbs up (which was returned by a confused look), and Mal smiled at himself. Once the two were well out of sight, Kaylee went to stand beside Mal, grinning.  
"That was real sweet, Cap! Givin' 'em their time alone like you did."  
Mal started, looking at Kaylee, amused surprise written all over his face.  
"Little Kaylee, how do you _always _manage to figure things out so quick on this boat? I'm startin' to think you really can talk to 'er!"  
But Kaylee just giggled. "Please, Cap! I've seen the way they look at each other! 'bout time they got it all out in the open-like, don't ch'ya think?"  
Mal shook off his surprise and allowed his self-congratulating smile return. "Mhm! S'about time they put their differences aside! Been causin' too much trouble on Serenity here."  
"Now Cap, wouldn't say it's been causin' _problems_!" Kaylee protested, nudging him with her elbow.  
"What d'ya mean? I can't be havin' that kind of tension on my ship!"  
Kaylee let out another giggle before kissing him on the cheek. "Well Cap, it's gonna be! So you'd better get over your problems with on-ship relationships!"  
Mal looked after Kaylee as she pranced away, his smile disappearing from his lips.  
On-ship _relationship?  
_'No, no.' he reassured himself. 'They hated each other!'  
"Oh God, please no…"


	8. Let us fly

""_Hwoon dahn…_" – Jerk

* * *

"Where are you taking me, pilot?"  
The two had walked in silence, with no objection from Zoë, until Wash had led them right through, and away, from the town.  
"Right up that hill!" Wash stated, pointing.  
Zoë furrowed her eyebrows. "Y'know, that there is a cliff."  
Wash just nodded, smiling, and as the two climbed, Zoë battled with an inner monologue to make up for the silence between them.  
It's no matter what was between her and this man, tonight she would end it. The kiss had been a mistake. His protecting her had been a mistake. Zo___ë _didn't need a protector. In fact, having a man always aiming to keep her out of harm's way would only cause problems. More problems than any on-ship relationship, which were unacceptable and problematic on their own.  
No, she would finish it.  
But when she looked up at Wash, that determined look on his face, her resolution faltered.  
Strength.  
That was something she had never seen in Wash until recently. Strength.  
Suddenly, when they got to the top of the cliff, all thought was driven from her mind for a moment as she took in the view. In front of her was an expanse of lush, green grass, dappled with trees and bushes, and at the horizon it melded right into the big, black, starry night sky, free of clouds.  
Wash smiled, adoration leaking into his gaze, as he watched Zoë's mouth drop.  
'Beautiful'.  
As she continued to take it in, he turned and began unpacking his large leather pack.

"Startin' to think we're gettin' too attached to the black." Zoë mused, almost to herself. "Finally planet-side and the best thing I've seen so far is that sky."  
Wash's smile only grew as he lay out a blanket on the hard, slightly sanded, floor, and the sound of him setting up a portable stove made Zoë turned away from the edge of the cliff.  
The view in front of her made her eyes go even wider than the one she had just seen.  
"I hope you like chicken." Wash said absentmindedly as he began pouring oil and sprinkling spices into his pan.  
"Are you cooking for me, pilot?"  
Wash looked up at Zoë, and had to keep his mouth from dropping. She was smiling, with no sarcasm in her eyes, and the stars seem to almost revolve around her glowing hair.  
He had to remind himself to speak.  
"Restaurants are too crowded." He said, looking back down at the pan, pulling chicken strips from a small, cooled container and placing them on the heat. "Quieter out here. Easier to think."  
Zoë lowered herself onto the blanket, folding her legs at her side, and leaning on her arm, watching him through observant eyes. He had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up above his elbows, and that's when Zoë first noticed his muscles, flexing as he flipped the chicken with a skewer.  
Zoë bit her lip, before mentally shaking herself. If this was any man, she would have her way with him. But he wasn't. This was a man who knew her, or was beginning to, anyway. Who cared about her.  
There were already too many strings between the two of them. And she had to sever them.  
Tonight.

"Potatoes?"  
Wash's question brought her out of her own head, and she just nodded.  
She didn't want to ask how he came by the money to buy the food. She already knew that it would be too sweet for her to ignore.  
After a few minutes of Wash cooking, and Zoë mentally lecturing herself, Wash scrapped the food onto a couple of plates and brought it over to her, sitting so that he faced her. Zoë looked down at her plate and couldn't help but smile. Two skewers of chicken, mixed with some vegetables, with a large serving of potatoes on the side.  
"Dig in!" Wash exclaimed, happily beginning his own meal.

"You have a gift, pilot." Zoë said between mouthfuls.  
"Man full of surprises."  
Zoë chuckled quietly, and the two ate without exchanging conversation. They both knew they'd have to come around to the subject eventually, but wanted to enjoy a few simple moments of good food before. When they had both cleared their plates, Wash picked them up and placed them back into his bag. Zoë sighed when his back was turned.  
'Alright, here goes…'  
But when Wash came back, he was holding a small wooden box.  
"Dessert!" He said, responding to her confused look. He handed her the box before sitting back down, watching as she opened it and the next shock of the night came over her.  
Strawberries.  
"Wash, I – "  
Zoë looked at Wash, who had propped up his knees, arms loosely around them, his muscles even more accentuated, a simple smile on his face.  
"I can't take these." She finished, motioning to the fruit in front of her.  
"This is a _date_, Zoë. Flowers are hard to come by, so that's the best I could do."  
Zoë was astonished, looking back and forth between Wash and the strawberries, before rolling her eyes and smiling, plucking one of the small berries from the box.  
"Thank you." She muttered, taking a bite.  
The vision of Zoë's face, eyes closed, small smile on her lips, forced Wash to close his legs.

"Dinosaurs were my brother's favorite historical species."  
Zoë opened her eyes and looked at him, strawberry stem still hovering in front of her mouth.  
"You asked about my dinosaurs. My younger brother loved them. When I went off to the war, him and my mom were the only ones who kept contact with me, and he sent me some figurines to keep me company. And let me tell you – it gets gorram boring in that cockpit when you're there for hours on end!"  
Zoë raised her eyebrows and nodded. Childhood stories? Learning about his brother?  
This date was feeling too much like… well. A date.  
"But you don't want to hear about that." Wash continued. Zoë wanted to say 'No, I do', wipe that sad look of his face, but that would do no good for her mission. So she just looked at him sympathetically.  
"We have to get some things out in the open, Wash – " she began, mentally planning a speech.  
"Yeah, we do. Like why it bothered you that I kissed you back."  
Zoë, normally irritated at being cut off, just looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"  
"I asked you what bothered you about me. You said that I kissed you back. But I don't know if you've seen yourself recently, 'cause if you had, that woulda been a given."  
Zoë had to hold back a smile, but Wash caught the slight twitch at the edges of her mouth, and smiled in return, raising his hands as if in surrender.  
Now's the time, Zoë…  
Zoë took a deep breath, and finding herself unable to get the words out while looking into Wash's blue eyes, she turned her head in the direction of the portable cooker.  
"'Cause it meant somethin' was there…"  
She had to force herself not to look at Wash, who shifted slightly beside her. "And?"  
"And that meant I'd have to stop it."  
Now she had to look over, and Wash's helpless eyes and unsmiling face made her falter.

"Wash…" she said, trying to compile her thoughts into words. "you protected me, and I thank you for that, but I don't need protectin'. It'll only get you and others hurt. I need a crew that will ob-"  
"Zoë, let's not pretend this was about me not taking an order." Wash stopped her.  
Zoë looked at him, and sighed. "Vessel-side relationships don't _work_, Wash."  
Zoë found herself being surprised that Wash's face remained unchanged. Normally her straight-forward, to the point nature made people, especially men, uncomfortable.  
Why did Wash have to be the exception?  
"You don't know until you try." Wash said simply, but his blue eyes twinkled, completely fixed on her.  
Zoë was finding this harder and harder. She didn't expect the pilot to be so persistent, despite the fact that he said he wouldn't back down just the day before.  
"I don't have to try. Captain doesn't tolerate it."  
With the mention of Mal, Wash just groaned. Zoë gave him a serious look and he just grinned innocently. "He sent us out here." He suggested hopefully.  
"To put our differences behind us." Zoë said, raising her voice. "Not to… eat dinner and exchange favorite colors!"  
Zoë went to stand up, pacing to the edge of the cliff. Wash followed silently behind her.  
"Well, so we bend the rules a little bit. Every crew has its rebels!"  
Zoë turned and gave him an angry look, and he shrunk back from her gaze.  
At least he wasn't an exception to _that_ particular talent of hers.  
"I don't disobey the Captain, Wash."  
"You follow his every word but you won't even try _speaking _to me!" Wash retorted, his voice low but strong. Zoë squinted at him angrily, but suddenly his face turned from insulted to calm, almost sad. He walked over to stand beside her, looking straight into her eyes.  
"Could you at least tell me what you feel, Zoë?"  
Zoë's face looked almost pleading now. She couldn't take this. It was easy to be mad at him, she could break off everything with anger. But when he looked at her with those hopeful eyes…  
She looked away from him and down to the bottom of the cliff.  
"I've been on the edge of a lot of things. And I always fight to stay on. You're asking me to jump off it, and falling would really, really, hurt."  
Wash couldn't take his eyes off of Zoë, as a whole new side of her opened up to him. Her eyes weren't hard, as they always were, even when she laughed. They were exposed, bare, sad. She was torn between two decisions: being responsible, what she had been trained to be her whole life, and doing something for herself. Doing something that wasn't a sure thing.  
"But we could fly."  
Zoë looked over at him, feeling her resolve ebb.  
"Look at that sky, Zoë." He said, motioning to the starry night, without taking his eyes off of her.  
"Don't you think that would be worth the risk?"

And that was all it took. She couldn't say no anymore, couldn't push him away. Couldn't push the warmth he put in her heart just by saying those words. The War had changed her, scarred her, for life. She had re-built that life. Found a home in Serenity, a friend in its crew, but her heart was always cold. When she was with Kaylee she could forget it, but ultimately, it was numb.  
Wash alleviated the pain that she felt in her chest every day.  
She smiled.  
"Are you saying you want to be my pilot, pilot?"  
Wash relaxed at the sound of her joking voice, obviously able to tell that there had been a change.  
"From here 'till the ends of the 'verse, baby!"  
Zoë took a small step towards him. "You better not let me fall."  
"You better not jump."  
And with that, Wash put a hand on Zoë's waste, and placed a small, sweet kiss on her lips.  
Zoë sighed happily. "_Hwoon dahn…_" She muttered jokingly, before wrapping her arms around Wash's neck and kissing him for all she was worth.


	9. Dinosaurs, lost in space

Zoë watched Wash, trying not to burst into laughter. The man was in the process of searching frantically underneath the console for a lost dinosaur (his very favorite raptor, specifically), and his continuous frantic swearing was bringing her near tears.  
"Kaylee!" He yelled into the intercom, "Have you seen my raptor!"  
"Sorry Wash, none here in the engine room!" Kaylee responded, completely serious.

When the two had arrived back from their "date" a month and a half ago, Kaylee was patiently waiting in the cargo bay, legs crossed, giant smile on her face. Which somehow got even bigger when she saw them holding hands.

_"Hey there, love birds!" She said, her eyes almost invisible from behind her big cheeks.  
Wash and Zoë giggled nervously before touching foreheads, unable to hide their happiness.  
"Shiny!"_

Wash groaned at the young girl, pushing a bunch of palm trees out of his way as he tried searching the other side of the cockpit.  
"Mal! Raptor?" He yelled over the intercom again. Zoë couldn't help but laugh outright when she heard Mal's sarcastic reply. He had not been so supportive of the conclusion to their "mission". In fact, he had even gone so far as completely ignoring them at the dinner table for about two days after trying to convince Zoë to break it off, to which her reply was: "Tried, Sir. Didn't work out. Time for a new plan of action."  
But lately it had been better. Now he just pretended not to notice their romantic exchanges.  
"Why yes Wash, I have your tiny, carnivorous, prehistoric beast. I was planning on trading it, but sadly, 5 year olds didn't have much to exchange."  
Wash swore under his breath, not even bothering to respond. Zoë was bent over laughing, leaning on the console, holding her stomach with one arm.

Zoë's entire demeanor had changed since she had finally given in to the whole situation with Wash. Not that she always acted cold and distant before, but there used to be a sense of reserve to her, like she never quite let go. While that was still there, she was quicker to joke now, and even quicker to laugh. Instead of sneering at Wash's hawaiian shirts, seeing the man in his favourite attire made her feel at peace, and she came to love his unique, if not a bit odd, style. She even smiled every now and again when she didn't have to.

"I wouldn't ask Jayne if I were you!" She managed between fits of chuckles. "He might have used it for target practice."  
Jayne was their newest crew mate, who Mal and Zoë had 'picked up' just the week before. While the man was large and intimidating, his lack of intelligence made him almost harmless to the crew (so long as he got paid). But the man loved his guns, and he _loved _shooting things.

Wash let out a loud groan before walking over to the seat beside Zoë and collapsing, dejected.  
"Give up?" She asked, resting her hand on his chest. Wash looked at the floor and nodded, his back hunched.  
"Then here you go."  
Wash looked up, confused, but when he saw Zoë holding the small figure in her hand (after pulling it out of the breast of her leather vest… who knew what she could hide in there), his mouth dropped.  
"Aaaand here you go." She said, and pulled out another figurine, this one a new triceratops, and held them both in between his face and hers. He looked up at her, his face full of betrayal.  
"You - you stole my dinosaur!" He accused, standing up out of his chair, causing her to stumble backwards, trying not to laugh yet again.  
"I did, but! I'm givin' 'im back! With interest! See?"  
She waved the two dinosaurs in front of his face. "Forgive me?"  
"Oh it'll take more than that!" He said, pushing the dinosaurs out of his face, and wrapping his arms around her waist as she let them drop to the floor. He leaned his forehead against hers, and she nuzzled his nose.  
"Will it?" She asked seductively.  
"Mhmm!" Was all he could get out before her fingers were running through his hair, pulling his face to hers. He took her waist in his hands as they kissed and slowly walked her backwards until she was pressed up against the wall.  
Zoë let out a mixture of a moan and a giggle, wrapping one leg around his, letting her tongue slide into his mouth.  
Wash took in a sharp breath as Zoë ran one of her hands down his spine, and slid it underneath his shirt, scratching his back lightly with her nails.

"Well!" He exclaimed, pulling away from the embrace, causing Zoë to gasp.  
"That will do, forgiven!"  
Zoë stared at him, exasperated. "Waash!' She whined, coming up behind him as he sat in his chair, running her hands down his chest and planting a kiss next to his ear.  
"Nope, I _told _you, slowly!"  
Zoë groaned and stood up, glaring at the man in front of her.  
The night they had come back from their date, Zoë was already ready to rip Wash's clothes off. She wasn't one for the "three-date rule", or any rule at that. But Wash thought otherwise.

"_I just convinced you to think about jumping off the edge, Zoë. I wanna make sure you know you've made the right decision!"  
Zoë sighed, "I don't make wrong decisions…" She insisted, kissing him softly, refusing to let him go so easily. Wash chucked.  
"Okay, so you don't. But I want this to work."  
At the tone of his voice, Zoë pulled away, taking him seriously. "And what will you, and me, naked, do to making this _not _work?"  
"I _really_ want this to work, Zo. So we go slow."_

It was times like these that she regretting agreeing to that.  
"You are the only man I've met that has tried to _postpone_ sex, Wash. I'm starting to doubt your feelin's for me."  
Wash spun around in his chair and linked his arms around her knees, pulling her between his legs, and looked up at her. "It's just because you're worth it."  
Zoë's irritation vanished, and she couldn't help but lean over and give him a small peck, letting her fingers linger on his cheek.  
"Am I?" He asked sweetly, flashing her a grin.  
She nodded her head from side to side.  
"For now." Was all she said before turning the leave the helm. "But there's a deadline on my patience, Pilot."


	10. The wait is over

"Sir, I'm sleeping." Zoë grumbled as she heard Mal's voice over the intercom.  
"I realize that Zoë, and frankly, I don't care. Cockpit, please."  
Zoë groaned as she pulled herself out of bed and pulled on her work pants. Eyes still full of dew, Zoë dragged her feet up to the helm, where she found Mal looking out the window towards the empty, danger-free sky.  
"Mmm… stars. Quite dangerous, I hear." Zoë commented sarcastically, stretching her arms above her head.  
But Mal didn't respond; instead, without a word, he marched out of the cockpit.  
Zoë turned around, ready to walk right out behind him, suspecting that this was just another one of his pay-back ideas for her agreeing to be with Wash.  
But she was stopped before even taking a single step when he called over his shoulder: "Don't you even think about leavin'."  
Zoë**, **confused and tired as she was, plopped herself down in the chair next to the console. She smiled at the comfort of the seat, worn in by Wash. Getting cozied up, she shut her eyes, enjoying the smell of him.

Zoë had just started dozing off when she jumped at static over the intercom. Looking out the window, she could suddenly see one of Serenity's shuttles, about 50 meters out.  
"Kaylee, is that you?" She asked over the intercom, and was replied by a voice she did not expect.  
"Hi, honey!"  
"Wash! What are you _doing_?" She said in a scolding tone, thrusting a hand toward the shuttle, even though she knew he couldn't see her.  
"Just wanted to make sure you were there. One sec!"

As the voice on the other end went silent, Zoë leaned on the console, staring at the lone object in the vast space. What could her man be up to?  
She watched as the shuttle turned to her far left, and suddenly, a pale smoke seemed to come out of the engine.  
Panic struck her. "Wash! Baby, get out of there! Somethin's on fire!"  
"Calm down, lambie-toes, it's fine."  
Zoë just stared in disbelief as Wash began to steer the machine, all the time the pale blue haze pouring out. She started to notice that the haze didn't vanish, but left a trail behind the tiny ship.  
When a straight, vertical line was drawn, suddenly the haze stopped. Wash steered the shuttle a foot to the right, and it started again, drawing another vertical line.  
Wash continued, and Zoë continued to stare, for about 5 minutes, until finally she could see what he was doing.  
When the shuttle finally stopped spewing blue haze and started approaching Serenity, Zoë was wide eyed, hand covering her mouth.

Amidst the shower of stars in the endless black sky, the blue haze lingered.

I LOVE YOU

"I love you, baby…" Wash muttered over the intercom, but no response came. Zoë had already left the cockpit.  
Worried that she was having second thoughts, Wash quickly boarded the shuttle into Serenity, ready to run to the helm and beg Zoë not to leave him (on his knees, if he must). But when he thrust open the door, already in mid-run, he was forced to stop.

Zoë was standing directly outside the shuttle door, and without waiting one moment to let him say anything, she grabbed his face and pressed her big, beautiful, smiling lips against his.  
Wash smiled underneath their kisses, and only pulled away to wipe a stray tear from Zoë's cheek (the only one that escaped).  
"You liked it, then?" He asked, laughing. Zoë let out what was almost a growl as she continued to kiss him. "I love you! I love you, you stupid, stupid man!" She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
"Good…" Wash said, relieved. "Because I figured I'd need some good material to bribe myself into your bed, after making you wait for 3 months…"  
Zoë looked up at him, disbelief written all over her face. "You mean – "  
"Oh, _I mean!_" He exclaimed, before picking her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and walking them down to her bunk.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

**Sorry it took me so long to update, people. I've been feeling under the weather, so movement was not too easy. But here is another chapter! Cheesy, I know. What can I say? It's a weakness. Hope you enjoyed it, and at least one more chapter should be up by the end of the weekend. Thanks for the reviews!**


	11. Warmth gone cold

Warmth.  
Zoë really couldn't describe the smell in any other way. Just… warmth.  
And happiness, and love.  
Could anything _really _smell that way?  
Zoë shifted, wrapping the sheets around her breasts as she turned to look beside her.  
And as her eyes took in a naked, sleeping Wash, his hair ruffled and his mouth hanging slightly open, she knew it could.  
Zoë closed her eyes contentedly, nuzzling her nose against Wash's sleeping face, resting her hand on the arm that he had wrapped securely around her. She let out a happy sigh.

For someone who acted so fearful, Wash was exactly the opposite. Even his sleeping figure seemed driven to protect her. When they were being attacked, during a trade or in the black, he would always be the first to suggest running away. But when they didn't, he always stood firmly in front of her, hand on hers, ready to keep her safe (of course, he never did so too obviously, because he knew she'd probably beat him senseless if he even suggested that she needed protecting).  
Zoë let a lazy smile creep onto her lips, and kissed the tip of Wash's nose without even opening her eyes. In response, his subconscious mind told him to wrap his arm even tighter around her waist, drawing her against his warm chest that still had the moisture of sweat clinging to it.  
Zoë loved to have sex,  
but she loved making love to him even more.

Zoë kissed the bridge of his nose this time, letting her lips linger, before Wash let out a tiny groan. Her small smile spread into a full-on grin, and she reached with the hand that was resting on his arm to brush a stray hair from in front his eye, trailing a finger on his cheek.  
"'Mornin'" She whispered, brushing her lips against his.  
Wash smiled dreamily, not opening his eyes.  
"'Morning to you too, hon." He muttered, snuggling his face into her neck, sending tiny shivers of happiness down her spine.  
"You know…" she mused, running her fingers through his hair, "I think this is the only way I actually _enjoy _waking up…"  
She could feel Wash's smile against the skin of her neck, and it made her heart burst.  
"Maybe because we don't actually have to get out of bed?" He murmured hopefully, still half asleep.  
"Mmmm. Some kind of perfect, don't you think?"  
Wash lifted his head, propping his elbow on a pillow, leaning over her face slightly. He smiled down at her, and then shook his head.  
"This beats perfect." He said, lowering his head to leave a sweet kiss on her lips.  
Zoë's lazy grin turned into a full smile as she wrapped her hand around Wash's neck, bringing his face to hers as she continued to kiss him slowly, sliding her tongue into his mouth and wrapping her naked leg around his blanket-clad waist.  
Wash moaned, rolling onto his back and pulling her on top of him with one arm around her waist. Tangled in a knot of blankets, Zoë stopped kissing Wash only to look at him.  
"Yeah, way better than perfect!" He said, making Zoë giggle before resting his hand at the bottom of her back.

"Zoë, I'll be needin' you in the kitchen in 'bout an hour. Get movin'."

Zoë groaned into Wash's mouth at the sound of the intercom, but continued kissing him, on his lips, his chin, down his neck and onto his chest.  
"Zo, shouldn't you be getting ready?"  
Zoë chuckled, taking this as sarcasm. Ever since he had (finally) let her have her way with him two months before, Wash would constantly poke fun at Mal's orders for Zoë to leave during one of their more… intimate moments.  
She never left.  
"No seriously, Zoë… you have to be there in an hour… and you look way too pretty right now for me to let you just waltz off with Mal into a crowd of people. I might lose you to a particularly strong passer-by."  
Zoë stopped kissing him and rested her head on his shoulder, eyebrows slightly furrowed. He was joking, sure, but his tone still sounded a bit more serious than she liked.  
He was actually trying to convince her to go.  
"Who is this man trying to kick me out of bed, and where did Wash go?" She asked sarcastically, chuckling. But Wash just smiled at her, and kissed her on the forehead.  
Feeling as if there was nothing she could do to convince him otherwise (well, she could, but they'd be there for way longer than an hour) Zoë let her head drop in surrender, her thick curls covering Wash's chest.  
"Have a good trade, pumpkin! I'm back to bed, love you!"  
And with that cheerful goodbye, Wash rolled over and fell fast asleep.  
Zoë stared at him, mouth hanging slightly open, with an amused but shocked expression on her face.  
Had he just _dismissed _her?  
But she let it pass, and her gaping mouth turned into a loving smile as she watched her man sleep soundly beside her. Pressing a small kiss on his temple, she whispered "I love you too, dear." before tiptoeing out of bed and into the shower.


	12. Dueling hearts

"Well hey Wash, thanks for finally joinin' us!"  
Wash just gave a curt nod in Mal's direction as an answer. Zoë turned around to look at him, smiling, and opened her fingers, expecting his hand to meet hers. But instead, Wash walked right by her with nothing but a small kiss on the cheek, and began walking beside Mal.  
Zoë, shocked, walked silently behind them in thought.  
First he actually asks her to leave bed, now he's chosen to walk with Mal instead of her?  
She knew there was something wrong the moment Wash started picking Mal over her. While the two were friends, when it came to him and Zoë, Wash was not a fan of the Captain.  
As the three strode through the sandy marketplace, Zoë pushed the subject to the back of her mind and let her eyes scope out the little shops.

She had found nothing of interest until the two men had stopped to look at some repair equipment (the reason as to why Wash had come to meet them: he was an expert at finding the best materials for the lowest prices). As they let their eyes roam over the tools, she noticed a small tent behind them.  
Dresses.  
Zoë never particularly liked dresses, but never particularly hated them either. They were a nuisance, but fun to look at. But this one… this one was divine.  
She was brought out of her thoughts when Mal's face appeared over her shoulder, obviously trying to figure out what she was looking at.  
"A _dress_?" He asked, with a note of disgust. "Zoë, are you sick? Or are you plannin' on leavin' my ship to become a ball-dancer with Kaylee anytime soon?"  
Zoë just rolled her eyes at the Captain. "There's no harm in lookin' at a decent dress, Captain."  
"Well, that ain't decent. It's gorram spectacular. But a dress, Zoë? Have you ever worn a dress?"  
Zoë just sighed and turned around, walking past Mal and over beside Wash, where she entwined her fingers with his.

He immediately smiled and turned to look at her, letting her give him a light kiss.  
"Hey baby…" She murmured.  
"Hey you." He replied, before turning to look back at the selection of tools in front of him.  
"Hear you were looking at a dress? It wouldn't be a… tight-fitting, bossom-flattering, legs-showing type of dress, would it?"  
The childishly hopeful tone in his voice made her smile.  
"See for yourself." She said, nodding towards the window.  
Wash looked over, and then his head froze.  
There in front of him was a long, white, slinky dress. It looked to almost be made up of strips of material, rather than just one, and woven into place.  
It was a dress that only very few could pull off,  
and it was a dress that would fit Zoë perfectly.

"Well!" He exclaimed, pulling his hand from Zoë's and shoving it into his pocket. "We'll take all of these!" He said to the salesman, handing him a wad of cash while placing the items into his leather bag. "All done here, Mal!"  
Mal wandered over from a nearby stand (there was a collection of cowboy hats on display), and Zoë just looked at Wash in confusion.  
He was acting unnaturally… distant.  
Normally the man couldn't keep his hands off of her, literally. Their fingers were always linked, or their arms touching.  
But now he seemed to be doing anything to stay away from her.  
"Great! So we'll be off the - "  
"Well actually, I have one more thing I have to pick up…"  
Mal and Zoë both looked at Wash quizically.  
"… a man needs new undergarments ever few centuries!" He pleaded, throwing his hands up into the air dramatically.  
"H-okay! So you go do that, pilot. Zoë, let's get this back to Serenity."  
Zoë nodded officially, before turning to grab the leather bag from Wash, who was already in mid-turn before she grabbed his arm.  
He snapped his head towards her just in time to catch a passionate kiss.  
"What was that for?" He asked, breathless, when she pulled away.  
"Remindin' you that I'm here." She said, and he didn't miss the slightly angry tone in her voice.  
"I will see you later."

But when Wash returned to the ship about an hour after they left the market place, instead of going straight to their bunk, he wandered around, checking in on Kaylee, visiting the kitchen, and even went to play with his dinosaurs in the cockpit for a while.  
When Zoë caught him there, it was the last straw. They were planet-side for another 3 days, which meant that they had little to no duties (especially now that the trade had already been done), which meant that they could waste days in bed, or at least being with each other.  
And yet here he was, sitting in the cockpit, playing with figurines. When the ship wasn't even in the air.  
But even in her fit of anger, she noticed something.  
Did he look… thinner?

"I'm startin' to think you love those dinosaurs too much, dear." She stated, taking pleasure in the way he jumped in sudden fear. But when he saw her, he made no move to get up, take her in his arms, and make up for everything he had done (or more like hadn't done) that day.  
"Hey, Zo!" He said cheerfully, ignoring her sarcastic remark.  
Zoë walked over to him and leaned on the console, trying to see what was wrong with him.  
His cheeks were sallower than usual.  
"Wash, what's goin' on?"  
Her abrupt, straightforward question took him by surprise, and he leaned slightly forward in his seat.  
"Nothing's going on?" He tried.  
Wash did love when a woman was forward, but Zoë took "forward" to a whole new level. And while it was a complete turn-on, it also put him on the losing side of arguments just about 99.9% of the time.  
"Exactly. I'm startin' to think you're avoidin' me."  
Zoë raised an eyebrow, all anger and sarcasm, but inside, butterflies were in her stomach.  
And not the good kind.

Wash was obviously calculating how, exactly, he was going to handle this. Zoë held eye contact with him the entire time, as his mouth opened and closed. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders, and looked at his feet.  
"I just… need some space."  
Zoë stared hard at the man below her, now wringing his hands together, eyes fixed on the floor.  
"Space." She repeated, her mind going numb.  
"Not from you! Just… Mal is everywhere, and you go on trades, and – "  
"And we have 3 days to ourselves, without the Captain around, and without anymore trades, and you've decided to throw them away because you need SPACE?" She said, her voice rising. Wash winced, cringing away from her standing figure, eyes still looking down.  
"Well fine, dear. I can give you space. After all, your bunk is still furnished."  
And with that she stormed out of the pilot area, leaving a hurt Wash behind.

As Zoë marched to her bunk, tears were forming in her eyes. This was _exactly_ what she had meant by not wanting to jump off of that edge. She knew that, one day, he wouldn't be there to fly her into the sky.  
When she got to her bunk, she couldn't even bring herself to climb into the sheets that, only that morning, she was so happily lying in with the man she had just yelled at upstairs.  
One day.  
One day of avoiding her and already she felt broken.  
What was he doing to her?  
Zoë stripped and strode right into the shower, needing to feel the water on her face to shake her back into reality and away from her own thoughts.  
But she couldn't shake the hurt she felt, or the worry.  
Wash wasn't just avoiding _her,_ he was closing in.  
And she didn't know what she could possibly do to stop it.


	13. Welcome home

"Bao Bei" – Sweetheart

* * *

"Zoë?"  
Wash tiptoed into Zoe's bunk, silently climbing down the stairs, a parcel wrapped in brown paper under his arm.  
"Zo, babe? Are you awake?"  
"I am now." Zoë said, making Wash jump and drop the thing he was carrying.  
"Gorram it, Zo! You just gave me a heart attack!"  
"Feels 'bout the same as mine does right about now then, dear."  
Wash immediately picked up on the strangled tone of Zoë's voice, so he abandoned the item on the floor (and any hope of finding the light), and walked straight towards the bed, his hand in front of him. When it came into contact with Zoë's face, he wiped a tear off of her cheek.  
"Hey… hey…" he cooed, sitting down on the bed and trying to pull her into his arms.  
While she wanted to sigh with happiness at his tender touch, she remained firmly away from him.  
"Zoë, c'mon!" He pleaded, and she could see the glimmer of sadness in his eyes.  
"What d'ya want from me, Wash? I'm giving you 'space'!" She blurted angrily. Wash just sat there for a few moments and then, his eyes having adjusted to the light, stumbled over and flipped on the switch.

When he turned to face Zoë, he found that she was curled up against the headboard, fully clothed, hair pulled back into a tight bun.  
Wash's shoulders slumped.  
"Zoë…"  
He walked over and sat next to her on the bed, prying one of her hands away from her knees, rubbing his thump over her palm. "Look, I – I know I haven't been fair. I wanted to enjoy our days off, but… this planet isn't the best one."  
Zoë grunted, but kept eye contact with him.  
"Look, I was born on this planet. I got my pilot's license so that I could leave. I have… memories here that I don't want. Since my brother left, there has been nothing here for me anymore. And I told myself I'd never come back except for one thing, and it's been kind of eating away at me since we got here…"

Zoë's eyes softened as Wash spoke, and she scooted closer to him, putting one leg over his lap, the other one behind his back, and rested her forehead on his temple.  
"Y'have to tell me these things, Wash. I'm sorry, baby…" She added, cupping her palm against his cheek. He smiled.  
"'Sides, I have nothin' to do with this planet. So you don't have to run away from me." She whispered lovingly, but regretted it immediately. Wash's body stiffened.  
"What?" She demanded, leaning back. Wash instinctively reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her next to him before she pulled away again.  
"Actually… you have everything to do with it."

Zoë just stared at him, eyebrows raised.  
"I said I'd only come back for one reason… and I've been wanting to do it for a while now, but I had to wait until I was back here. To do it, the thing, that is…"  
Zoë just watched him, confused.  
"What _thing_, Wash?" She asked impatiently. She understood his issues coming back to this place, but his beating around the bush was just getting her irritated.  
"It just makes me really nervous… 'cause what if it doesn't work out, or something…"  
Wash was speaking to himself now, his eyes drifting around the room.  
"I mean… truth is, Zo, it's hard for me to take risks. Unless it's with a ship, because I know exactly what I'm doing! But with you, it's… hard. I'm always worried that I'll…"  
His eyes were darting back and forth as he stared at their hands, getting watery, and against every bit of irritation she knew she should be feeling, Zoë squeezed his hand.  
"I'm always worried that I'll lose you." He finally said, his voice cracking.  
"Shh…" Zoë whispered, pressing her forehead against his again, stroking his hair with one of her hands.  
Then, suddenly, his eyes were fixed on her, those blue orbs full of resolve, and he was smiling.  
"But then I thought: you are an _amazing _woman, and if I didn't try, I'd never forgive myself."

Zoë's confusion only deepened as Wash stood up from the bed, taking her hands and pulling her up with him.  
"Zoë…" he started, his voice shaking. "I… love you."  
"Glad to hear it." She interrupted, jokingly.  
"I love you even if you disrupt me during a very important speech." He added quickly, making her grin.  
"I love you and… the only thing that makes this planet beautiful to me now is knowing that you have been on it. And I want that beauty – your beauty – to be with me, forever. I want _you _to be with me forever. Because I love you. And because I feel like I've loved you forever, but since I only found you now, I have to make up for lost time…"  
Zoë watched him with love in her eyes, holding one of his hands and stroking his cheek with the other.  
"But anyway, my point is, is that: Zoë, I promised to come back here to get one thing. And I've got it…"  
Zoë's eyes didn't leave his as he reached into the pocket of his cargo pants.  
"Zoë…" he continued, everything about him screaming nervous, but he wrapped one arm around her with confidence, pulling her close, and resting his head on her forehead, he held up a small ring in between their eyes: "Will you marry me?"

Zoë's breath caught as her eyes switched focus from the man in front of her to the thing in between them. There, in between his thumb and index finger, was a ring. A flat, glass ring, with thin silver vines circling around it. Her smile changed into a gaping mouth.  
"_Please _marry me?" He asked again, feeling incredibly vulnerable.  
Zoë didn't even hesitate.  
"Yes."  
Wash's eyes shot open, and he bent slightly to look into Zoë's eyes, that were now staring at the ring.  
"Yes?" He asked.  
Zoë took in a sharp breath, and laughed lightly before planting soft kisses on Wash's mouth.  
"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" She repeated between kisses.  
Wash's look of relief was almost comical, but she didn't care. She didn't stop kissing him even as he slid the ring onto her finger.

"That's just a temporary thing, y'know. Won't be able to keep it on much during a trade. But you could stow it in your bra, or… somewhere."  
Zoë laughed at Wash's sheepish grin, and smiled as he kissed her nose. Both of them had tears streaming down their face (well, Wash did. Zoë just had teary eyes).  
"You're an idiot, pilot." She whispered, grabbing the material of his shirt as she shook him lightly. "You're an idiot, and I love you."  
Wash grinned, "But I'm _your _idiot!" He specified.  
"Yes you are, dear." She said, happily.  
"Do we get to…consummate our marriage now?" Wash asked hopefully, getting a laugh from Zoë.  
"We're not married _yet_! In fact, I think we should wait until we are to have sex aga – "  
"That's not funny!" Wash yelled, panic written all over his face. Zoë just laughed before kissing him deeply, pulling his shirt over his head in one fluid movement, reassuring him that it was, indeed, a joke.  
"Mmm wait, wait, wait!"  
"_Whaaat?" _She whined, sitting down on the bed impatiently.  
Wash smirked as he made his way over to the parcel that he dropped on the ground.  
"Wash…" She started to complain. She hated getting gifts. Especially when gifts were so gorram expensive for people on a tight, irregular budget such as theirs.  
"Just open it, Zo." He whispered, sitting down beside her.  
She rolled her eyes at him before deftly untying the strings around the brown paper, and pushing them aside.  
Her hand slowly rose to her mouth as she stared at the gift.  
A beautiful white dress, seeming to be woven from strips of white silk.

"I figured you'd probably never take to a dress again for a good… 15 years or so, and I like slinky dresses, and we don't often see wedding-y stores floating around in the black, so – "  
His voice trailed off as he brushed a stray curl from Zoë's face. "Zo?" He asked when she didn't say anything.  
Zoë stared at the dress, letting her fingers trail over the soft material, before slowly getting up and placing it on top of a small dresser. So that's why Wash looked thinner than usual. He had been passing up meals to get her the ring, and now this dress.  
She turned around from the dresser, and without waiting for any kind of response from her fiancée, Zoë tore her hair out of her bun, wrapped her legs around Wash's waist, wrapped her fingers around his cheeks, and pulled him into a deep, loving, hungry kiss.  
"Mmmm… betrothal consummation!" Wash purred, undoing the zipper on her leather vest and letting it fall to the floor.  
"_Bao bei…_" Zoë muttered.  
"Yes?" Wash replied breaking away from their kiss.  
"Shut up." She demanded, before tangling her fingers in his blonde hair.

He had no objection.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Okay, only 3 or 4 chapters left after this one. I hope everyone is enjoying it – the next chapter will probably be up by sometime tonight.**


	14. Two worlds, one union

"Mei Mei" – Little Sister

* * *

Zoë smiled as Kaylee fiddled with her dress, smoothing it over her body. The girl had been so excited when they announced their engagement 3 nights before (right after a particularly long, and a particularly _good_, session of sex), and had immediately forced Mal to bring her into town to get a bridesmaids gown.

"_Oh my God! Married? You two are gettin' married? Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!"  
Wash and Zoë chuckled, Wash blushing a little, as the two stood hand in hand before the young crew-member, foreheads touching, almost exactly like the day they had returned and told her they were, finally, going to give this a shot.  
"Well, when is the weddin' gonna be? Are ya gonna do it someplace shiny? Can I be in it?"  
Kaylee's enthusiasm was enough to push the daunting task of telling Mal their news to the back of their minds.  
"Of course you can be in it, mei mei…" Zoë cooed, walking over to put an arm around the glowing woman. "In fact, I was wonderin' if you could be my – "  
"BRIDESMAID?" Kaylee finished, almost jumping underneath Zoë's embrace, who simply nodded, a look of pure happiness in her eyes.  
"And the wedding is going to happen here, actually. On our last day." Wash said, answering her question from earlier.  
"Wash was born 'ere, and I was born vessel-side, so we figured it was perfect." Zoë finished, gazing lovingly at her pilot. Kaylee had tears in her eyes.  
"That's gorram beautiful, you two! Shiny, is what it is! I gotta go find the Cap!"_

Wash stood awkwardly in the cargo bay, adjusting his tie (he couldn't afford a tux… so he settled with his usual Hawaiian shirt, a relatively new pair of black dress pants, and the tie). Both Mal and Jayne were there with him, not speaking a word. Jayne because… well, he rarely spoke any words appropriate for a wedding, and Mal because he wanted to make it "abundantly clear" that he didn't necessarily approve of this union. But he still sported a little smile.

_"I'm sorry… a wedawhat?"  
Zoë and Wash stood behind Kaylee, bracing themselves for the explosion, as the girl remained completely ignorant to the look of terror on Mal's face, still bouncing.  
"A wedding, Cap! These two are finally gonna get hitched! I'm gonna be Zoë's bridesmaid, so I'll be needin' you to come into town to get me a dress!"  
Mal just stood there, mouth hanging open. "Wha- … a _wedding_?"  
"I proposed, Mal." Wash said, a joking tone to his voice, trying to ease the tension. Mal turned to him, mouth still agape.  
"I'm surprised you found the guts, Pilot" Mal retorted, resorting to sarcasm to get him through this moment of utter shock. "She coulda killed ya in a second if she thought you were bein' too forward. You sure you're ready for that kinda commitment?"  
Zoë rolled her eyes as Wash just stared at Mal, an awkward smile on his face.  
"I'll only kill 'im if he deserves it, Captain. But seein' as the wedding will be happenin' on your ship, we'd appreciate your blessing."  
Mal's eyes shifted to look at Zoë, who had taken on her official stance, but couldn't wipe the grin off of her face.  
"My… my blessing?" He asked, dumbfounded.  
Zoë and Wash both nodded.  
"Well… seems I've got no choice, now have I?" He said, throwing his arms in the air.  
"Oh Cap, this is gonna be shiny!" Kaylee exclaimed before wrapping her arms around his waist.  
After she and Wash had left the room, Zoë strode over to Mal's side, hands clasped firmly behind her back.  
"Sir?"  
Mal didn't even seem to realize she was standing beside him, still staring forward.  
"Sir, I'd like to ask you to hear what I'm sayin' for a second, if it's not too much."  
Mal turned towards her, his face showing the shock he felt. "I'm listenin'"  
Zoë took a deep breath, "You were my Sergeant durin' the war, Sir, and now you're my Captain. You know that I value your opinion – "  
"Then value it now and do not get married." Mal said, his voice commanding, but Zoë didn't flinch.  
"I'm not askin' for your opinion on my marriage, Sir. Nothin' you can say will make me change my mind. I'm askin' you if you could be my best man."  
Mal's eyes widened, "Your… best man? Shouldn' you have a… best woman, or what not?"  
"Maid of honor, Sir. And I think we can skip out on traditional weddin' rules this time 'round."  
Mal was silent for a moment, and then, to Zoë's utter shock, a broad grin swept across his face.  
"I'd be honored, Zoë."  
She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Thank you, Sir."_

"We better hurry up! We don't wan' Wash to run away, 'cause he will, if he's left in a room alone with the Captain for that long."  
Zoë turned to face Kaylee, who had gone to change out of her usual floral tank top and jumper bottoms, into a pale pink dress that was fitted on her torso, and then puffed out at her hips, stopping at her knees. The girl looked like a doll.  
"Well, he ain't _alone _with him! He's got Jayne!" Zoë retorted sarcastically, making both of them laugh.  
"At least he was easier to convince to get cleaned up than the Cap'n was!" Kaylee said, giggling.  
And he had been. Kaylee had forced both Jayne and Mal to clean up for the wedding. While Mal had put up a bit of a fight, Jayne was surprisingly accommodating, apparently having a soft spot for weddings.

_"I've never… been asked to be in a… weddin' before…" He mumbled as Wash told him the news. "And… ya want me to be yer groom's man?" Jayne looked up at Wash hopefully, tears in his eyes. Wash almost laughed.  
"Uh… yeah. That… would be great, Jayne." He stumbled, not able to get anything else out before the man picked up the pilot in a crushing bear hug.  
"This means so much to me, Wash! Thank ya!"_

"Everythin's shiny, Cap! We're comin' down!"  
"Alright, Kaylee. Let's get this shindig over with." Mal replied good- into the intercom, deciding to put aside his own opinion for the day.  
Wash looked up expectantly as Mal strode to his end of the cargo bay.  
"Well pilot, the women are finally ready. Time for Serenity to have her first wedding."  
'And may it be her last…' he added mentally.  
Wash just smiled nervously at the Captain before walking outside, standing on the ground right next to the ramp leading onto the ship. Already standing there was the law-man they had hired from the village. It was the son of the man that had married Wash's parents, and had given him a "family discount" for his services.  
Wash stood, hands clasped in front of him, bouncing up and down on his heels, a mixture of nervous and ecstatic. Jayne strutted over, standing beside him, and Mal remained in the cargo bay, waiting for Kaylee and Wash's soon-to-be wife to arrive.

No family was present. Wash had lost all ties with his since the war, and was not intent on revisiting them. Besides, Zoë and Wash had both agreed that their home was the ship now, and their family was the people on it. And they wanted to keep it that way.  
Suddenly, the sound of clinking from the grated metal staircase made Wash's head snap towards the cargo bay, where he could now see the pink-clad woman descending into the big room. Kaylee held a small bunch of flowers (daisies, of course), and seeing her made Wash's heartbeat calm down by a few beats. It was hard to be nervous when you were looking into Kaylee's smiling face, which was probably glowing more than Wash's.  
The woman slowly walked over to where Wash and Jayne were standing, taking her place on the ramp of Serenity, where Zoë would soon follow.  
"Jayne!" Kaylee whispered urgently, and Jayne jumped, turning around and fumbling with a small radio. When he had finally gotten through the static, a wedding melody was playing, and he straightened back up beside Wash, throwing Kaylee what he thought was a discreet thumbs up.  
The sound of the song made Wash's stomach turn, but all negative thoughts disappeared when he looked over to the cargo bay, and saw Zoë.

The dress fell on her slim but curvy body with perfect grace, and her hair cascaded in a waterfall of curls onto her shoulders, the light of the sun embracing her silhouette. She wore no makeup, and her feet were bare, but standing there in her silk gown, a bouquet of red lilies in her hands, Zoë was by far the most radiant, stunning, perfect being any of them had ever seen.  
Wash couldn't take his eyes off of her, and while he managed to stop his mouth from dropping, he couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. Surrounded by a halo of glowing light, she was every image he had ever had of an angel.  
Zoë's eyes found his, and her breath caught in her throat. There he was, her pilot, looking handsome in his black pants and his tie, but what made her smile was his floral shirt, a piece of him that brought back her confidence, making her less shaky (inwardly, of course. Outwardly, she was as stoic as a goddess).

Their eyes held for a few moments before she turned to look at Mal, and nodded. The two walked, side by side, down the middle of the cargo bay, Zoë's eyes never leaving Wash's. Everyone was crying except for her, Mal and the law-man, who was patiently waiting for her to take her place next to Wash. When she finally got to the edge of the ramp, Mal walked to stand beside Wash, and Zoë's bare feet stood at the edge of the ship. She smiled warmly at the man in front of her before handing her bouquet of flowers to Kaylee, and reaching her hand out to take his, gripping it with all of the strength she had.  
The two never looked away from each other.

"We have gathered here today to partake in the joyous union between Zoë Alleyne, and Hoban Washburne. You are all witnesses to this marriage, and if anyone has any objections, please speak now."  
The only sound that could be heard was Jayne blowing his nose into a hanky.  
The law-man continued without hesitation.  
"Today, we are here not only for the union between these two people, but of these two worlds. Hoban Washburne, born planet-side, has decided to step off the land to be with his beloved Zoë Alleyne, born vessel-side. Together, the two will embody love, companionship, trust, and loyalty. You may now speak your vows."

Wash took a deep, shaky breath, and reached his other hand to grasp Zoë's, looking into her eyes. If he could have seen anything beyond them, he might have laughed at Kaylee jumping behind them. He opened his mouth to start, but couldn't get the words out.  
Zoë smiled.  
"Hoban, Wash… Pilot."  
Everyone chuckled as Zoë took control.  
"You were the very last thing I expected to enter my life. And when I first met you… you were the very last thing I ever _wanted _to enter my life…"  
Zoë looked down at their entwined fingers, willing herself to say the words she had been planning for so long.  
"You… cared for me, you protected me, you _defied _me."  
Wash cast her a sheepish grin at the last part.  
"And on top of all that, you were… you. Strong, caring, funny, and surprisingly persistent."  
More chuckles.  
"I never wanted you to enter my life… because I knew I'd never be able to watch you leave it. Hoban Washburne, you have made me whole again. And, for that, I plan to keep you forever. No questions asked."

Wash was crying unabashedly, and with the final line of Zoë's speech, he managed to pull together the courage to say his.  
"Zoë… you are very, very scary."  
Everyone laughed at that, Jayne managing to let out a bellow even through his monsoon tears.  
"I have never been so scared of another human being in my entire life!" He continued, adding some joking humor into his voice, before turning serious.  
"But it wasn't your freakishly high strength that scared me, or your weapons… it was your eyes. Your eyes could hold me prisoner from here until the ends of the 'vers, Zo. They could steer me wherever they wanted to go, and I would have no complaint."  
Zoë shivered, a tear slipping down her cheek. Wash reached up to wipe it off.  
"I told you… that I would never let you fall. That I would leap off of that edge with you and fly you anywhere, everywhere. But I lied."  
Everyone was listening now, curious at where this was going. Zoë's eyes furrowed, Wash's words making her worried.  
"I could never let you fall… because then I would fall. I told you I'd be your pilot, Zoë, but what's a pilot without wings? You're my wings now, and you can fly me wherever you want – I will always be there with you. Just please… don't ever stop being my pilot."

Wash and Zoë stared at each other, the rest of the world having disappeared. Their eyes were like earth and sky, connected into one powerful entity of love. As the law-man continued his official speech, the two hardly listened.  
"Do you, Zoë Alleyne, take this man, Hoban Washburne, to have and to hold, from this day forth?"  
"I do." Zoë said, her voice stronger than she expected. Wash couldn't help but smile in relief.  
"And do you, Hoban Washburne, take Zoë Alleyne, to be your lawfully wedded wife, from now until the end of time?"  
"Absolutely…" He whispered, unable to find his voice, worried it would crack. Zoë squeezed his hand gently, her lip quivering.  
"Then by the power rested in me, I now pronounce you husband, and wife. Hoban, if you would now take the voluntary step onto Serenity, to complete your path from planet to vessel."  
Wash took the small step onto the ship's ramp, his eyes and hands never leaving Zoë.  
"And now… you may kiss the bride."  
"Yes, you may." Zoë confirmed, causing another chuckle to run through the group, before letting out a little squeal of surprise as Wash lifted her into his arms and kissed her as passionately as he could.

Kaylee let out a sound that was between a squeak and a yell, tears flowing down her cheeks; Jayne blew his nose, again; and Mal, to all of their surprise, was smiling happily at the two, clapping.  
Of course, Wash and Zoë didn't notice any of this. When their lips finally parted and Wash had set Zoë – _his _Zoë – back on the ground, the two stood there, foreheads touching, arms wrapped securely around the other, gazing into each other's eyes.  
"I love you, husband." Zoë mumbled, wrapping her hand around Wash's neck.  
"I love you too, wife." Wash replied, a sheepish grin on his face before planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. "I will always, _always_, love you…"


	15. Some kind of home

_"__Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo!____" – All the planets in space flushed into my butt._

___

* * *

_

Mal often found himself walking around Serenity while everyone was asleep, and tonight was no exception. He strode through the cargo bay, around the infirmary, into the cooking area. He always did his best thinking when he was walking around his boat,  
his home.

'And some kind of home it's become…' He thought to himself, running his hands on the kitchen walls, which were now painted yellow with delicate, cheerful floral patterns.  
No doubt Kaylee's touch.  
He sat down in one of the chairs next to the dining table. He liked this room. Even if it was all flowers and girly-like, it still gave him a sense of calm.  
His mind ran over what had happened in the past 3 weeks. After Zoë and Wash's wedding, they were waved for a trade almost straight away (delaying their "honeymoon"). Quite a trade that had been, too. First there had been the other no-good-doers who had been tipped off, and then the Reavers…  
It was a mighty fine piece of luck that got them out of that one.  
Cost him some damage too, which meant he would have to do inventory.  
Mal got up and began unconsciously walking toward the bridge, mentally listing all of the equipment they direly needed the next time they were planet-side (direly, because they needed quite a bit of equipment, but could only afford a bit).  
This was one of those nights that Mal secretly thanked his lucky stars that he had Kaylee aboard. That woman knew what Serenity needed to stay afloat like no other.

But his thoughts were interrupted when he found the door to the bridge shut. Wash was on duty, and Mal normally went to visit him on his overnight shifts. The man _never _left the door shut, even if he was playing with his dinosaurs.  
Thinking that he might have just wanted some quiet (those doors were practically sound-proof), Mal went to open it up, finding it locked.  
'Now somethin' is terribly amiss…' Mal thought, irritated. This could mean one of two things: Wash was disobeying orders (never do you shut, and lock, a door about Serenity without his permission, unless it is that of your bunk), or there was someone on his bridge that he didn't want there.  
Either way, he was getting in.  
Mal checked the crack between the door and the wall, and found that it wasn't sealed, but just simply locked. Which meant that Wash was probably disobeying orders, seeing as he could easily unlock it from the outside. No ship-robbing thief would make a mistake like that.  
His irritation building, Mal stomped down the hallway past the bunks, got to the control panel, and unlocked the door, pulling out his gun (just in case).

Jogging back to the door of the bridge, all sense of fear that someone else was on his ship left him, and all he felt was a dull anger. If this _was _someone trying to steal Serenity, they would have heard the bolt unlock and made a run for it.  
He stowed away his gun (although he was tempted to point it at Wash, just to give him a scare), and quickly opened the door.

* * *

"Hey baby!"  
Zoë smiled as she entered the cockpit. "Hello, dear." She replied as she turned around, closing and locking the door, before looking at her husband.  
Wash was grinning from ear to ear, staring at the beautiful woman in front of him. Zoë's hair was half up, and while she was wearing her usual work pants and combat boots (when was she not?), she also sported a flimsy, low cut, red v-neck tank top. Leaning back in his chair happily, wearing a pair of grey flannel pants with his ever present Hawaiian shirt, Wash was the picture of cheerful.  
"You don't think Mal will have a problem with that?" He asked, motioning his head towards the locked door, obviously not even remotely close to caring.  
Zoë just raised an eyebrow as she walked towards him. "The Captain put you on duty durin' our honeymoon, which means – " She paused to give him a kiss, "that this is goin' to be our surrogate bunk for the night."  
"Ooooh!" Wash said, wrapping his arms around Zoë's waist as she sat on his lap, facing him, her legs open on either side of him. He sounded like he was happily surprised, but if Zoë knew her pilot (and knew him she did), then she could guess that he had been waiting on her for the past 3 hours since he had been called to the bridge. And she was going to make every hour worth it.

Zoë wrapped one arm under his, trailing her fingers down his back, while she used her other hand to pull his face towards hers, catching his mouth with her lips. She let out a contented purr as he pressed his hands against her back, pulling her firmly against him.  
The two stayed like that for a while, arms around each other, bodies pressed against the other's, passionately kissing with a tapestry of stars behind them. Wash moaned lightly when Zoë tightened her legs around his waist, and he started kissing her neck, running a hand under her shirt and up the smooth skin of her back, letting the other meander down to his very favorite part of Zoë's body: her absolutely-fabulous, carved-by-God-himself legs.  
Zoë sighed into his hair as she kissed the top of his head, dropping her hands to start unbuttoning his shirt. Finding this process a bit too lengthy for her liking, she decided to tear it off, needing to press her hands against his bare chest.  
Wash chuckled against Zoë's neck, his breath sending shivers down her spine.  
"You really have to stop destroying my clothing…" He whispered into her ear, before pressing a kiss directly below it, making her let out a soft moan.  
"And you really need to _stop talkin'_" She muttered before shutting him up with her mouth.

The two didn't hear the light 'chink' of the door unlocking, and Wash was beginning to push Zoë's shirt up her back when, suddenly, the door to the bridge flew open. Wash let out a quick, but not convincing "Ah!", and Zoë instinctively sat upright, her hand shooting to where her gun holster usually was. And she wished it had been there, with a gun, fully loaded, when she saw the Captain walk into the pilot's area. Wash just groaned and dropped his head onto her chest, not even trying to hide his disappointment.

Mal, on the other hand, jumped when he saw the two, his eyes going wide.  
_"__Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo__!"  
_There they were, clear as day, sitting on the pilot's chair, half naked. He couldn't stop his eyes from automatically jumping to Wash's bare chest, which Zoë quickly covered by grabbing both sides of his shirt and holding them together with her hands, raising her eyebrows at the Captain in irritation. What she forgot to cover was her, now bare, midriff, which was pretty much impossible to stare at.  
"Ever heard of _knocking_, Mal?" Wash asked sarcastically, now leaning back in his chair, arms hanging loose at his sides, exasperated. But when he saw where Mal's eyes had drifted to, he quickly pulled down Zoë's shirt, wrapping his arms around her defensively.  
"Knoc- … this is _my ship!_" Mal argued, sounding like a kid who had had his toy truck taken away from him. "I don't hafta knock when it's my ship!"  
"Bet you wish you had though, right, Sir?" Zoë put in sarcastically, obviously angry that Mal had interrupted them, but not quite able to make it as obvious as her husband..  
"Hey!" Mal protested, pointing at them. "I ain't the culprit, here! You know the rules as good as any! You are not to lock any doors on Serenity without my permission except for those of your bunks! Which you _have_, I might add!"  
"And you know _our _rules as good as any. That we were to have one week of honeymoon, _without interruptions_." Zoë replied, her voice completely calm.  
"Yeah! I mean, do you know what a honeymoon is, Mal? It usually means a nice vacation, alone, with no duties…" Wash put in, his arms still firmly around Zoë's waist.

"So, Sir, since you gave my husband duties, on our already 3-week-late honeymoon, I s'pose you can handle it if we bend a few rules."  
Mal just stared at Zoë, his mouth slightly agape. The woman had disagreed with him before, on many accounts, at that. And he had never considered it above her to voice those disagreements. But she was actually trying to dismiss him.  
"Excuse me? We had a _Reaver _sighting just last week! Excuse me if I'm gonna be a might jumpy when it comes to me not bein' able to access the bridge!"  
"Except that we're both here, and can just let you know if we see anything, like always." Wash said impatiently.  
"Oooh right, 'cause you two were keepin' a mighty fine watch!" Mal argued, motioning towards them with his arms.

With that, Zoë let go of Wash's shirt, revealing his chest once again, and to his disappointment, hoisted herself off of his lap and into a standing position.  
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to evacuate the bridge."  
Mal just crossed his arms, holding his ground. So she walked towards him, making him flinch, and put both hands on his shoulders and led him out.  
"Bu – " Mal began to protest, turning around just as he stepped beyond the door.  
"Sir, whether you stay or not, I am goin' to have sex with my husband. I think you might prefer it this way."  
And Zoë shut the door on a very stunned Mal's face, bolting it.

When she turned around, all irritation left her when she took in Wash, once again reclining in his chair, shirt torn and half open.  
"That's my warrior woman!" He said proudly as she crawled back onto his lap.  
Zoë wasted no time, taking his shirt and pulling it off of his arms, dropping it onto the floor, before pulling her own over her head.  
Wash grinned as he left butterfly kisses over her stomach, grabbing her upper thighs with his hands and pulling her closer to him before wrapping his strong arms around her back.  
"Making up for lost time?" He quipped as he stood up, Zoë wrapping her legs around his waist as he picked her up with him, pressing her back against the wall.  
"Mhmm" Zoë responded against his lips, sighing as his hands found his way to what must've been tied as Wash's favorite part on Zoë's body. Or at least, his favorite part on her lower body. Or his favorite part in the area between her legs and her back.  
If he were to be completely honestly with himself… every part of her was his favorite.  
"If this is the reaction I get every time, then maybe Mal should interr – "  
Zoë groaned before dropping her feet to the floor and dropping her hands to the lining of Wash's sweatpants.  
"Wash, are you really gonna talk about the Cap'n through all this? Or are you gonna _shut up_, and let me rip all your clothes off?"  
And to make sure that he did just that, she slid her tongue into his mouth, pulling him firmly against her.

'Well, if you insist…' He thought, not daring to say the words outloud.


	16. Explaining the unexplainable

"Fahng-sheen" – Don't worry

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Wash and Zoë's honeymoon interruption, and while the first week was easy to get through (being on honeymoon status, and therefore completely oblivious to anyone but each other), the second week proved to be significantly more awkward. While the couple had already forgotten about the intrusion 5 seconds after Mal had left the bridge, the Captain still had the image seared into his brain.  
And his way of dealing with it was being exceptionally stern with the two, or ignoring them completely. On their trade, not one word was spoken between he and Zoë, unless he had to give her an order, in which case he barked it out.  
If she noticed his change in attitude toward her, she didn't show it, simply complying to his every word, as she always had. It wasn't the first time the Captain and her had disagreed on something, and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. She knew how to wait it out.  
[Wash, however, was not to stoic.

_"Mal, what is your problem!"  
Wash looked at Mal, confused, as the Captain stood firmly in front of him.  
"Oh, I don' think I'm the one with the problem here, Wash. But you most certainly do. I asked you to fix the wirin' in the cockpit, and it's still not done."  
"You asked me to do that 10 minutes ago! It's going to take a bit longer than that!"  
"Look, I'm not gonna be slowed down by your laziness, pilot. Get on the wirin', and get on it fast!"_

"Baby, it's getting out of _control_!" Wash said, throwing his arms into the air as he sat on the bed, pulling off his shoes. Ever since the two had gotten married, Wash's bunk was emptied entirely so that he could bunk with Zoë. The room was now a perfect mixture of the two: crisp and clean, as Zoë liked it, but full of warm colors (matching most of Wash's shirts).  
"I know dear, but what can we do about it? The Captain is not a fan of vessel-side relationships, we knew that goin' in."  
Zoë unbuckled her leather vest, placing it on top of a dresser before stripping down completely. Wash couldn't help but watch, smiling, his eyes full of love.  
Even though the two were exhausted, they found that they fell asleep much easier when they were entangled with the other's naked body.  
"Talk to him, maybe? We both know he'll listen to you more than me. Which isn't saying much, because, you know. He doesn't listen to me at all."  
Zoë cast him a look and smiled as he took off the rest of his clothes and slid under the blankets, propping his head up with his elbow as he watched her. She quickly took down her curls, letting them fall against her back, before crawling into bed, draping an arm over his waist under the covers and pressing the other against his chest.  
"I'll give it a try, baby. Fahng-sheen…" she mumbled, pressing a light kiss on his lips before cuddling up against him, her head fitting perfectly against his neck.  
Wash wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head, smiling as he smelt her hair.  
"Love you, baby…" He muttered.  
"Love you too, dear." Zoë replied, already dozing off.  
"And I will never know why…"

Those were the last words Zoë heard before slipping into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the crew found themselves planet-side, with Wash, Kaylee and Jayne sent out to find repairs for the ship (Wash because of his haggling skills, Kaylee because she knew how to mend Serenity more than anyone in the 'vers, contested only by Mal, and Jayne because… well, any opportunity to get Jayne off of the ship was one Mal would take).  
Which left Mal and Zoë alone, and Zoë planned to take full advantage of it.  
Come midday, Mal was sitting in the kitchen eating lunch when Zoë walked in, speech planned.  
"Sir." She said, standing in front of the seat across the table in front of him, hands clasped behind her back in her usual 'official' stance. Business was a comfort zone between the Captain and herself, and she knew she could express her feelings in a much easier fashion if she remained in that comfort zone. Not to mention, he'd listen a lot more willingly.  
"Zoë." Mal responded, not bothering to look up from his food.  
Zoë didn't miss a beat.  
"Permission to speak, Sir?"  
If Mal was going to play cold, then she could too. The war had given her perfect training for that.  
Mal looked up from his food at the question, eyeing her suspiciously. 'Here goes…' he thought.  
"Granted." He replied simply, going back to his food.

Zoë sat in the seat across from him and folded her hands together on the table, her eyes never leaving his face. Zoë both respected and obeyed the Captain. He had saved her on many occasions, and she had saved him. But one thing she didn't feel towards him was intimidation.  
"Sir, we need to talk about our situation."  
"What situation?" Mal asked, eyes firmly on his plate.  
"The situation in which, since you visited Wash and I on our honeymoon, you only have two manners of speakin': not speakin', or yellin'."  
Mal's head shot up, his attention finally on her. He was used to Zoë being upfront, but he couldn't ignore her when she got to the point so quickly. She may rank below him, but when it really came down to it, he knew they were equals.  
"There's nothin' to talk about. You directly disobeyed orders."  
"Yes, Sir, we did. But the circumstances were understandable. And it's about time you accepted the fact that Wash and I are _married_, and will be for as long as I can help it."  
"I can't accept what I don't understand."  
Zoë froze at this, her eyebrows furrowed. Mal had gone back to eating his food, but she knew he was listening.  
"What you don't understand, Sir?" She asked, not quite understanding herself.  
"You two are wed, I understand that. Honeymoons follow marriage, I understand that too. What I don't understand is: why him?"

Now it was Zoë's turn to be completely shocked, her eyes going wide, but her body remaining completely frigid.  
"I don't approve of on-ship relationships. They cause complications, like the one on the bridge, but they happen. But I prefer to understand why they happen, especially on my ship. You didn't even like 'im when he first came aboard. So, why him?"  
Mal was staring at her now, fork dangling from his hand.

Zoë looked right back at him, not quite knowing what to say.  
"Because I love 'im." She replied simply.  
"Well thank you Zoë, for all of the incredible details, but _why_ do you love him? You and I have known each other a long time now, an' I you know I don't have anythin' against Wash except on this particular point, but you're kinda hard to get at first glance."  
Zoë contemplated her options as he spoke. She could either decide to drop the question, state that it was none of his business, leaving them to ignore each other once more, or answer.  
She vouched for the second.

"Because… he gives everythin' and asks for nothin' in return. He makes me smile, and laugh, when normally I wouldn't. He keeps those stupid gorram dinosaurs in the cockpit because they remind him of his brother, and that means more to him than avoidin' bein' embarrassed. He fought for me even when I tried _everything _to push him away.  
Because, when he puts his arms around me, I feel safe. Safer than I've ever felt. An' you of all people should know how hard that is to come by, after what we've been through. And I feel loved, and cared for. He takes me for everythin' I am, no questions asked, and doesn't give a gorram that he ranks below me.  
Because, when I go to bed with him, I can't imagine any place I'd rather be. An' when I'm with 'im, I finally feel like the war is in the past, and isn' hauntin' us every day. His eyes are… brighter than every star in the 'vers. An' even if I can' fully explain it, Sir, I just love 'im. For everythin' he is. And he loves me."

Mal and Zoë just looked at each other for a few moments, Mal nodding slightly as Zoë spoke.  
"Well, alright then!" He exclaimed, picking up his now empty dish and walking into the cooking area. "Alright then, Sir?" Zoë asked, irritated by his abrupt dismissal.  
"Zoë… you and I have always maintained a pretty official relationship, but you're my friend. In fact, you're the closest thing I've got to family in the 'vers. I trust you, I trust your judgment. I can't say I agree with the decision you've made, but… when you put it like that, I can understand it."  
When Zoë didn't respond, but just looked at him with wide, confused eyes, he added in,  
"I'm happy for you, Zo. And I'll try to be more… accomodatin' with your new wedded lifestyle. You have my word."  
"Thank you, Captain…" Was all Zoë could manage as Mal strode out of the cooking area.


	17. Invaded, and never leaving

"So, how'd it go?" Wash whispered into Zoë's ear when the trio returned from shopping a few hours later.  
Zoë was about to respond when Mal strode into the cargo bay, instead mouthing 'later', to Wash's obvious disappointment.  
"Seems like you got a good haul! How much we got left?"  
Kaylee skipped over to Mal, kissing him on the cheek before placing the remainder of the money into his hand. "'Good haul' don't quite do it justice! We packed in good, Cap'n!"  
Mal smiled at the girl, his face almost glowing with a kind of paternal pride. "Y'sure did, little Kaylee. Those are some fine bargaining skills you've got there, Wash. Good work."  
"Thanks… Mal." Wash replied, hesitantly, looking at Zoë with a facial expression that almost screamed: IT'S A MIRACLE!  
"Well everyone, time for us to be gettin' off this rock. Wash, what'd'ya say you take the bridge? You're gonna have to be on duty for a few hours to get us on track."  
Wash's look of surprise faded completely. _Of course _Mal had just been warming him up to taking _another _nightshift, ship-time, after a long days work. He had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes at his wife.  
"Sure thing Mal, I'm going up…" He grumbled, dragging his feet to the stairwell.

"Just a second there, pilot!"  
Wash stopped dead and turned to face Mal, worried that whatever Zoë had said while he was gone may have struck a wrong chord.  
But, to his astonishment, Mal just smiled and turned to Zoë. "You wouldn't mind keepin' him company, would you, Zoë?"  
"I think I can manage, Sir." Zoë replied, grinning.  
"Well then, off you go! I want this bird off the ground!"

"What was _that_?" Wash asked once they were back in the black, and out of atmo.  
"Cap'n understands now, Wash." Zoë said simply, resting her hand on his shoulder as she stood behind him. "I told you I'd talk to 'im…" She added, whispering in his ear.  
"Yeah but… I mean… did you threaten him? 'Cause that was a quick recovery!"  
Zoë just laughed and spun his chair around straddling his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You got a course?"  
Wash smiled at her, linking his hands behind her back. "Sure do. Should be smooth sailing from here on out." He said, letting out a deep yawn.  
"Ah, then I'm thinkin' it's time for my husband to get some sleep!" Zoë exclaimed, climbing off of her pilot's lap and walking towards the bridge cupboard. Wash groaned unhappily.  
"Whaa? But… Mal said you had to stay with me!" He pleaded, his blue eyes all sadness.  
Zoë chuckled as she pulled a wool blanket out of the cupboard, and walked back over to him.  
"Who said I was leavin'?" She asked, spreading out the cover.  
Wash looked up at her hopefully, "You're not?"  
Zoë stopped what she was doing to lean over and give her man a kiss, tracing her finger along the line of his jaw. "I absolutely am not…" She muttered, climbing onto his lap once more, but this time sideways, laying her head against his chest, and covering them both with the blanket.  
Wash sighed happily, kissing the top of her head as he wrapped his arm around her back.

"I'm glad you're staying…" he murmured, already falling into sleep.  
"An' why wouldn't I? Gorram pilot…" She joked, pinching his stomach lightly, making him laugh.  
"I don't know…" he replied, yawning again, "I guess…I'll just never understand why you chose me, Zo…"  
Zoë opened her eyes then, lifting her head so that she could look at Wash's face, whose eyes were closed. She leaned over, softly kissing him on the cheek before nestling back against his neck.

"Maybe I'll explain it to you someday…"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Done and done! Sorry it took so long, but it is finally all up. I hope everyone enjoyed it, and like I said, further stories will be up in the future. Either as fill-in for episodes, fill-in for this story, or just a whole new interpretation all together.  
Thanks for the reviews, and have a good one!**


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